When I committed to Naz, I immediately began counting down the days until I moved onto campus. I packed, bought textbooks, got dorm decor and finally that day came.

Once I’d settled in and the excitement of move-in day subsided, I lay in my dorm bed and  thought to myself: “Okay, now what?” 

Like many of my peers, I had spent years preparing for college and over two years choosing a college, but I never really thought about what this moment would feel like. From college tours, I’d pictured walking around campus and sitting in classes, but nothing can quite prepare you for the night before classes start. 

I thought back to 13 years prior, when my parents read to my brother and I, “The Kissing Hand” on the eve of our first day of kindergarten. As I lay on my twin XL bed in Kearney Hall, the message of the book had never resonated with me more. I was presented with a challenge I had never encountered, I was living with people I barely knew, all while trying to navigate and decide what my future career would look like. Just like Chester Raccoon, I was nervous for what was about to come. What I didn’t know the first time I read the book was that there would be times when I was overwhelmed and anxious, but in those times I learned how important it was to rely on my friends, who would become family. 

I didn’t yet know that my college experience was going to be nothing like I expected. The pandemic had everlasting impacts on all of us. I know the class of 2023 is incredibly excited as things slowly return back to normal. Attending college in a pandemic was not what I had imagined, but through strong support systems I have developed at Naz, our “college experience” was truly unforgettable. 

As a rising senior, I can recall many late nights hunched over a table in the Clock Tower Lounge studying for an exam, and all those who sat with me. I think fondly of our late-night trips to the “Cab” for ice cream, early morning coffee/bagel runs, spring walks on the canal, late nights in the George dance studio, what feels like all of my time at Naz spent in the Political Science lounge, gathering around a TV in my dorm to watch popular television specials, and attending sporting events. I have met so many incredible people by just propping my door open, joining clubs, and especially through classes. 

While nothing can truly prepare you for “the night before,” I realize now that in life I will have many more “the night before’s” and that friendships provide me the support I need to get through those times.