This year can be summarized in one word: unpredictable. With the pandemic’s ups and downs and everyone trying to return to a normal life it seemed as if everything had a question mark at the end of it. This unpredictability reinforced the flexibility and resiliency needed during our current situation.

 This school year was my first year on campus, despite it being my second full school year at UC. I was able to do all my courses and extracurriculars online last year. Adjusting to life on campus was a lot easier than I anticipated, yet it undeniably had its own challenges.

 It was extremely fulfilling to be around other people in my age group in person. However, I felt like was meeting everyone I knew from my classes and clubs a second time. This proved to be somewhat awkward, I was caught in the feeling of “I know you, but I really don’t know you” with everyone I knew on campus. This allowed me to reevaluate the friendships I had formed virtually and access which groups and people I wanted to become invested in.

Navigating how to make new friends made me reflect on what I valued in my existing friendships and in individuals in general. Through this reflection, I reinforced that I value honesty, patience, active listening, empathy, and sharing common interests. This also allowed me to reflect on myself and ask myself if I demonstrate and embody the qualities that I look for in other people. This reflection made me get honest with myself and eventually accept and learn the areas that I needed to work on to grow to become a better friend and colleague.

This year I focused on forming an intentional support network around me at UC. I did this by focusing on showcasing my values through myself in my friendships. I made sure I was actively listening to what they had to say, practicing patience with them and myself, as well as fostering an environment where I and my friends felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable and have deep conversations. These conversations helped me expand my worldview by hearing other people’s experiences and beliefs.

Over time I was able to create meaningful friendships. However, it was truly lonely at times. This process took a lot of patience, effort, and resilience. Forming friendships takes time but it also takes effort, and the path to friendship is not always straightforward. In kindergarten, it seemed effortless to make a friend, but it is a conscientiously diligent process as an adult.  

By going through this sometimes-painstaking process I am now better equipped to support others who may feel the same way I did. I can share my own experiences and advice in hope of helping someone else. I now have a support network that encourages open and honest conversation, and unconditional support. I can be myself and express myself while also helping create a space where my friends feel as comfortable being themselves as I do. I strive to create an environment of respect and acceptance in every encounter I have. Sometimes I fall short and act or speak without thinking. But my friends help keep me accountable and encourage me to uphold and reflect my values. I can lean on my friends, and they can lean on me.