Winnie's Words of Wisdom

Stream of conscience

Today for no apparent reason I felt a random wash of joy over me. Not that I feel we should ever have to justify why we feel happy when we do, its just ironic that I feel a sense of relief because finals are next week. This past year since moving to California has been a dramatic change for me and my first year here could not have passed by any quicker. I have had amazing experiences that I never would have expected and with some of the most incredible people ever. I have learned so much about myself that has helped me to better understand who I am and figure out who I intend to become. Even though I always have some sort of plan for my life, I felt that throughout high school and the beginning of college I stumbled through and never knew where I was truly headed. I’m not sure if San Jose is where I’m supposed to be, but I do know that it is definitely where I want to be. Moving here was an adverse challenge and even though I struggled my first semester to assimilate myself into a new environment, I am glad that I stuck through with it and have decided to finish my degree here. Often times I wonder what an unexpected turn our lives can take and how a single decision can change our lives forever. That is precisely what choosing a university did for me. I had options set up to go to Pullman, Seattle, Oregon or San Jose and although I don’t doubt that I would have found a positive experience in any of the above, I truly am happy that I made the decision I had. I always questioned whether or not I made the right decision by choosing to come here but I no longer wonder, because this is where I want to be and I am thrilled to be here. I am grateful for having such a lucky opportunity and I could not be happier. I feel motivated and driven to rise to my full potential and excited to learn more about anything and everything. I am excited for the new ideas to come and all the discoveries I am waiting to make. At this very moment, I feel in control of my life and although I may not have a bulletproof plan for my next five years, I have a general idea of what I want and how I’m going to make it happen. I am aware that right now just when I feel like everything is finally coming together, life will find a way to throw me off track again but only so everything can come back together - except better. I may never be able to be one step ahead of my life’s twists and turns but I feel audacious enough to accept the challenges ahead of me. I don’t know the answers to the endless stream of questions that constantly bombard my mind, but I sure as hell am ready to find out.