A Transfer Success Story
May 1, 2024
Writer: Maddie Tarica
Editor: HY Editors
The conclusion of the school year always prompts deep reflection for me. Throughout my life, I have always eagerly welcomed the end of the academic year as it signaled the arrival of summer and long-awaited freedom. However, this year is different; I conclude the year reflecting on a monumental moment in my life.
This time last year, the thought of transferring colleges weighed heavily on my mind. While I knew it was the right decision, saying farewell to a school I had so strongly hoped would work out proved extraordinarily challenging.
Arriving at Tulane as my peers entered their second year was daunting. My first few weeks felt like an out-of-body experience. I did my best to put one foot in front of the other, trying not to think of anything besides acclimating to new classes, navigating campus, and enduring the New Orleans summer humidity. I realize, looking back, that it wasn’t until now that I was fully able to soak in the enormity of my decision to transfer. Transferring schools required unwavering trust in myself, resilience, adaptability, and courage.
I realize that all too often, I neglect to give myself credit for both the minor and monumental accomplishments I achieve each day. Doing well on an assignment, getting dinner with friends, or simply mustering the strength to get out of bed on the days when it feels like you're somehow glued to the mattress. Those feats all seem trivial, and I tend to overlook them, but they are all worthy of celebration. If I have learned one thing from this year, it is that the small accomplishments are the stepping stones that lay the foundation to achieve greater ones.
Looking back on this time last year, I could have never imagined how a new environment could lead to so much growth. It’s impossible to have a bad day here. I wake up every morning excited for my classes and the day ahead. I am challenged academically, which has fueled my passion for learning and made me a curious thinker. I have fallen in love with New Orleans and feel so lucky to be able to call it home. Most importantly, I have made a group of friends I never imagined I would be so lucky to have in my life. They make my life feel so whole and I am immeasurably grateful to never have to know a life without them in it.
Taking the time to honor yourself is not easy. It may sometimes feel conceited, but unapologetically taking pride in my accomplishments, big and small, has become a form of true self-love. Having the grit and tenacity to put yourself first by taking a leap of faith and then coming out on the other side more yourself is something to be celebrated.
I have never anticipated the conclusion of a school year being something I would ever dread. However, with all I have learned this year, I know that it is never too late in life to take risks. Each step taken in life is a step towards self-discovery and growth. I eagerly look forward to the future, but I will never stop looking back to celebrate all of the large and small steps that have paved my path along the way.