Today, I had the opportunity to revisit some of my old hobbies. I was invited to be on a panel for the University of Iowa’s Hawkeye Visit Day. It has been a long time since I’ve been on a panel, and quite honestly I kind of miss it. Now, before you turn judgmental and assume I’m a stage junkie, hear me out.
One of the things I have learned about myself is that I truly enjoy being a resource for others. I believe it is due to my upbringing, and all of the past experiences I have had of someone reaching out to help me. Being on the panel today gave me the opportunity to really share lessons that I’ve learned (some of which took all four years to finally sink in). It wasn’t until after the panel when I was sneaking out of the ballroom to head to one of my favorite classes (Introduction to Environmental Science), that I obtained a sense of accomplishment. A woman and her daughter ran to catch up to me to ask if I had a moment to talk. The first thing she asked about was my major. Then she shared with me that she too had visited Japan. Soon her daughter and I got carried away about the endless possibilities of customizing one’s experience at Iowa to really get the best out of your experience. It wasn’t too long until her niece came out to join the conversation, and I realized that her and I had even more things in common.
It felt good to get them excited for going to college, sitting in the front row of your life, and having access to a variety of resources at your finger tips. I remember feeling like that my freshman year, and I don’t regret it one bit. Today I was able to connect with someone, and truly share my experience here at Iowa, and watch how it inspired someone else. That is why I love talking with incoming students. That is why I can’t shut up about my time as an undergraduate here. That is why I’ve worked so hard to take advantage of all that the university and it’s community has to offer, so that one day (hopefully most days), I can set an example for someone who can see a little bit of themselves in me. To motivate them to be who they want to be and more, and to challenge themselves to think above and beyond what is considered standard. I think I did that today.
Annnnd because I know my friends who are reading this are going to call bolagna on something I said before, so here it is! I really am a stage junkie. I perform every opportunity I get. I just didn’t think admitting that in the beginning was going to aid in the position I was trying to take in such a genuine topic (but now you know it all). 😀
#GoHawks