There’s officially 11 school days left in this academic year and I have quite a few mixed emotions about that. On the one hand, I’m so excited to be graduating and moving on to other schooling and adventures. However, I’m going to miss the comfort that Hope has provided me, as well as seeing all of the familiar faces I’ve grown accustomed to each day.
Senior Seminar is one class in particular that has allowed me to reflect on my time at Hope and made me analyze the past few years as well as my years prior to college. I had mentioned in a previous blog that I had to write a paper called “What Moves Me” for this class and the ideas and realizations I had from writing that paper allowed me to write my “Life View” paper. This past week I had to present this paper and discuss my life view with the rest of the class. I’m not much of a public speaker but this presentation was a lot easier than I had thought going into it. Everybody in my class is so comfortable with each other so anything I said or revealed was going to be supported and respected. Although I was able to find meaning in the experiences in my life thus far, I really enjoyed listening to my peers and their stories.
The remaining time we have left in the class is solely dedicated to presenting our own life views and I’m actually looking forward to it. So far I’ve listened to only a few and they are such a joy listening to because people really open up about what makes them who they are. Some people take a humorous angle while others discuss the losses and personal tragedies they have faced, presenting a wide range of life events that my peers have faced. I feel so fortunate that my classmates are willing to share such personal things and I have a greater understanding and respect for each person because I’ve been able to get to know them better. Some presentations have actually inspired me and have challenged me to see from different perspectives. It’s crazy how much you learn simply from your peers and see what different obstacles everybody has had to deal with and how they cope.
I found it so beneficial to take this specific course and take a step back to analyze my life. It seems like something that everybody should do occasionally and learn from oneself and one’s experiences. Without this class, I wouldn’t have been able to decipher why things really happened or didn’t happen to me and having this understanding really helped me grow and appreciate people, situations and events in my life. I’m sure I’ll stumble across this paper a decade from now and really enjoy reading my perspective as a young adult and see how much I have changed since writing it and if I can find even more meaning that I didn’t see this first go-around. I strongly encourage you to simply sit down and take the time to see what you value in people, relationships, friendships and yourself. For me, I gained a new perspective of myself and I’m very grateful that I have found meaning through my actions. Even if it’s just writing in a journal, keeping track of your thoughts will be interesting and beneficial in the future looking back. See if you can learn something new about yourself!
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