I was all on my own.

Standing still and cold, I faced the staircase leading onto campus in the early autumn morning. The sunlight had not yet broken through the dawn, and the quiet campus emphasized just how alone I felt in that moment. Upon enrolling at UW, I did not have a community to support myself or my ambitions; I was living apart from my family for the first time, none of my friends from high school enrolled at UW, and I felt out of place moving from the countryside to a city. Isolated in my own interests, I approached the university with a lone-wolf mentality. My personality in the first few months reflected my anxiety; I was nervous, detached, lonely, and prepared to compete against every other student here to prove my worth.

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But, that fight never came. Instead of the struggle I was prepared for, I was caught off guard by the incredible warmth and love I found in the communities that I would discover here. Where I thought I would find students fighting tooth and nail for their grades, I found tight-knit study groups and helpful peers. Where I thought I would find graduate students and professors consumed by their work, I found mentors who would see me through every challenge on the horizon. And where I thought I would find a cold, indifferent and cruel campus…

I found home.

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I have walked up that same staircase perhaps a thousand times since my first day, and I am so incredibly glad to say that I have never that depth of loneliness since. That memory will always be with me; but now, it is enriched with the times I have walked up that staircase with others. Strolling up those stairs in the warm summer sun, racing to Swing Dance practice with my friends, feet springing off the steps in my volleyball shoes, toes dragging after a late night at the library; those stairs have stood as witness to the memories I have earned here. And soon, I will know what it feels like to finally walk those stairs, wearing a sapphire blue graduation gown.

 

So this is my story. A story of community, compassion, and commitment. A story that encompasses the joy of flowers, the sorrow of failure, and what it means to be human on this little blue and green planet. A story not created by myself in my isolated world, but built up by my friends, my family, my coworkers, my classmates, and everyone who supported me on my journey. My portfolio isn’t a reflection of what I have achieved by myself over these past few years, or my struggle with classes, jobs, internships, or the competitive edge that I thought would be the focus of my college education. Instead, it’s a story about discovering my Seattle family, finding my place here, and growing with others.

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This story is a celebration of who I have become.