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Kristina Vera

UNIV-1201

Mrs. Holmgreen

2 December 2023

Reflective Photo Essay

My first year at TAMIU ( Texas A&M International University) as a Staggs student has

not been easy, but it has been an adventure. Being at Staggs Academy has given me a great

opportunity that not many others get to experience. I get to have a head start in my career and get

to make myself accustomed to college life early on. Despite these advantages, there were many

times where I felt like a fish out of water. Mostly because I was entering an environment where I

didn’t have any friends, the classes got a lot harder, and it's a big campus where everyone is older

than I am. To get over this awkwardness at TAMIU, the first thing I did was make connections.
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My biology lab group was one of the best connections I made at Staggs. Even

though they were an assigned group, we made such strong friendships with each other that will

last us even past graduation. Because we

are all Staggs students, it was so much

easier for us to bond and get to know

each other better. Making connections

with my biology lab group gave me

friends to lean on whenever I needed

them. Because we all had such

My biology lab group partners
different personalities, we each had

something different to offer the group,

which made us stronger all together.

My biology lab group and our professor
Even though I had my biology lab

group throughout the semester, it was important that I grow as a person, not just academically.

Throughout the first two months of the semester, I noticed that I was super stressed and was

struggling to balance my “school time”, when

I would focus on doing work for my classes

and studying, and my “me time” when I

would spend time on myself to work out or

relax. A way that I was able to grow as a

person and balance myself out was joining a

soccer league outside of TAMIU. I really loved playing soccer and my high school team was one

of the reasons I was hesitant in coming to Staggs. Because I missed playing and was very
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stressed, I decided to join the soccer league that all of my friends were already apart of.

Rejoining soccer helped me blow off steam and relax myself after long days studying. And

because I was with my friends, it was also very fun and enjoyable.

Being with this team helped me reconnect with my friends and balance out my school

and personal life. They helped me realize that

college life didn’t have to be just working and

studying for multiple hours straight. They helped

prove to me that it is necessary to take some

personal time and enjoy yourself in order to

destress and succeed in college. Being able to

balance out personal and academic time is one of the most important factors of making it through
My friends and I celebrating winning our game
college with your sanity it tact.
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Lastly, all of this would never have happened without self-empowerment. Self-

empowerment can come in many different forms, including making informed decisions. For me,

it started way back when I first decided to come to Staggs Academy. Choosing to come to

Staggs was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. I really wanted to get ahead in my

degree. However, I was top two percent of my class at my high school, and I knew that I had

high chances of getting college scholarships. Plus, I had all my friends at high school and didn’t

want to leave them. After months of going back and forth with myself, I decided to do as my

siblings did and come to Staggs.

Overall, coming to TAMIU has changed my life for

the better. I now have a visualization of my career path and where I will be in ten years. I have
Staggs Academy flyer, Julieta & Frank
Staggs Academy of International & STEM learned to make connections and build lifelong friendships. I
Studies, Facebook, July 13, 2022
have also taught myself the importance of balancing your personal life with your academic life to

succeed. This semester has been challenging and it will most likely still be in the future.

However, I am now more prepared for what is to come.