Freshman Year Reflective Essay:

13 May 2016
This year was for sure a difficult one for me, both academically and socially. It was hard
to have lived in the same house for all 18 years of my life and then move five hours away to a
small apartment where I had three other roommates.
My most significant accomplishment of this year would have to be making four As
second semester. This is a huge accomplishment for me because I was taking 18 credit hours. I
believe that my success came from being diligent in my studies and never giving up no matter
how hard the material was to grasp.
Academically, I was quite overwhelmed my first semester of college. I was taking
Chemistry, Anatomy, Spanish, and Humanities totaling in 17 hours. I was still trying to figure out
how to balance my time and I had to end up dropping Anatomy. I think this decision was for the
best because now I am taking Anatomy and Physiology this summer. I can set my full focus on
those subjects alone. I believe that I need to overcome my fear of not getting into the nursing
program. Nothing scares me more than not getting into the program that I have dreamed about
for so long. I think I can do this by just having confidence in my skills and not selling myself
short.
This year I have contributed to the Honors College through being on the Honors College
Council. I was selected to be on council for the Spring and Fall Semesters of 2016. I have
already started to contribute to the program by helping in January with the prospective student
interviews. I think this is a great way for us students to put in their input on who they want in
their community of fellow Brocks. I am a Co-Chair of the Accademic and Cultural Affairs
Committee. I have also contributed by helping plan both Spring Showcase and Cheftaqua. Spring

Showcase was an event that my Honors College Committee put on and I also participated in it. It
gives members of the Honors College a chance to show their peers any talents they may have. I
read a poem that I wrote and I also helped plan and execute this event. Chetaqua is an event
where students can bring foods that show their cultural background. I planned and held execute
this event in the Honors College Reading Room. Many people brought food and told stories
about their heritage and it was a very successful event. I chose to be a part of the council because
I wanted to help make the Honors College the best it can be. I wanted to be apart of the decision
making process and do all that I can to help my peers. I think this position was most fulfilling in
the aspect of completing a task, such as seeing these events actually play out and be successful.
I also have played a big part in my sorority Kappa Delta. I was initiated this past October
and since then have been chosen for two appointed offices. The first office is the Parents
Relations chair. This chair is in charge of planning the parents weekend that the sorority has in
the fall. They are also responsible for keeping the parents of the sorority up to date on what is
happening in the chapter. This semester I helped send out letters to the new member parents,
informing them what our sorority is all about. I also helped write a letter that will be sent out to
our current members parents. The second position that I was selected for was the Shamrock
Committee. Shamrock is our charity event that raises money for Prevent Child Abuse America
and Children's Advocacy Center of Hamilton County. We raised over $19,000 this year for these
charities. I assisted in planning, organizing, and implementing the Shamrock Event. Through
these positions I have gotten to know so many more people in my sorority. I was shy at first and
did not spend a lot of time with my sisters but as I began to take leadership roles, I found myself
being more social with them all.

For my long term goals I plan to finish my undergraduate degree in Nursing. I then plan
on working in a hospital for two years, and then coming back to the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga to enter into their Nurse Anesthesiologist program. For my short term goals I plan
on getting into the Nursing Program at UTC for the Spring 2017 Semester. Even though this year
was a tough one, I am so thankful for the experiences, people, and memories that I have made
along the way.