|
As I prepare myself to start a new era of my life away from
friends and a city that I have grown to love, I realize how much that the past
four years here at Penn and Philadelphia have shaped me into who I am
today. It’s really amazing to remember
what I was like when I graduated from Perry Hall High School in 2002. I was going to the University of Pennsylvania,
and Ivy League institution, but really, I didn’t know what the hell I was
doing, or what the hell I was getting myself into.
I got my ass kicked hard.
Without a goal in mind, without a target to aim for…I let myself slip
without knowing it, and I fell hard. I
never expected myself to be in such a vulnerable position. I never expected to work as hard as I have
since then to pick myself up. Now I am
standing, more or less on my own two feet, and I am walking towards a definite
goal that I can see within reach.
I was lucky to meet my best friend at Penn within the first
two days of NSO and I am proud to say that she is still my best friend here. She is everything that I am not. She’s studious, determined, driven, and
extremely hard-working. I think it’s
this ying-yang effect that keeps us friends; I like to think that our
personalities balance each other out.
Second semester of my freshman year I met another fellow
Bioengineer. In some respects, we’re
exactly alike, and in others we are as different as night and day. It was nice to have someone with a similar
academic background to relate to as we ploughed through the BE curriculum. I met someone that I clicked with
immediately. We could talk for hours
about nothing and yet it seemed fulfilling.
Something ended up being nothing…just kind of fading away like an old
ketchup stain, but it still leaves an impression.
I suppose I consider these people the people who have really
shaped my early Penn experience. Since
then, many more people have left a snapshot in my Penn album. My roommate freshman year taught me a
lot. I learned a lot about people and I
discovered aspects of myself from my time rooming with her. The entire floor of KC2 definitely made its
mark and many of the former KC2 residents continue to make their mark in one
form or another even now.
My fellow BE kids that I have grown to love and treat as
family. We made it through 4 semesters
of 6 hour labs and alien lectures/drinking games. They are a brilliant group of people that
will soon be on their way to becoming doctors, researchers, consultants,
analysts, and leaders in the world.
CSA. I applied to be
a part of the board on a last minute whim.
It was through CSA that I got to experience things that I would never
have otherwise gotten the opportunity to do in college. Besides the general cultural enrichment
stuff, I got to have my 15 minutes of fame starring as a punk rock chick who
ends up falling for the good looking prep in the 2004 cultural show. I say without hesitation that it was one of
the best times I’ve had in college.
While there are so many other experiences that I could
mention here, it really wouldn’t matter.
I carry their effects within me, and it shows in my views, my words, and
my actions. I think my ultimate goal is
to just like myself. If I be proud of
what I do and like who I am, then I will be happy with myself. I’m still working on it. There are some things that I don’t know if
I’m willing to let go in order for me to “be a better person.” I hate it how one negative experience can
complete alter how you see things. I
wish these experiences wouldn’t leave me so cynical, so I can be kind for those
who truly need my help.
The overall Penn aura is a unique I think. I do think that being surrounded with a group
of people that are so motivated and so driven, talented and intelligent, it
makes you want to do more. Not to say
that people back at home aren’t driven and motivated, but it’s completely
different. I wonder what it’ll be like
to go home. I wonder what effect the
people I’ll meet back home will have on me.
I have the impression that our goals are different. Or maybe they’re not as different as I make
them out to be. I want to be…I don’t
know. But I’ll figure that out.
| 
