Academically, college was a breeze for me; high school was hell compared to this liberating experience. However, I was still clam-shelled into my introverted self. Sure, I fortunately made friends the moment I stepped onto the UCR campus, but I still felt I didn’t belong. I decided to join APhiO, a co-ed community service fraternity, to not only make more friends and be more social but also to find meaning for myself as more than just a student. I was my pledge class historian, adopted two “little brothers”, and served two terms as Service Vice President. This experience, along with meeting and opening up to a diverse body of people at UCR, helped me break out of my shell. Arguably, I’m still an introverted old lady now, but I’m more willing to shed that and express my opinions and personality. The best type of freedom is the freedom to be yourself, and the college experience allowed me to accept and embrace that freedom.
