CHANGE
If there is any one theme of my first year at the University of Cincinnati, it would be the one titled above. This year has been an incredible change, from leaving everything and everyone I had known back home in Sri Lanka to pursue my collegiate education in a country I had never even visited before. The task in itself seemed daunting to me and, up until my orientation here, a task I did not think I could undertake. It was a tall order to start anew in a different country but, as the end of my first year here at UC has drawn to a close, I am thankful that I never backed out or let the fear of the unknown overcome my decision to study here. I have traveled from one end of the country to the other, from Los Angeles, California to Naples, Florida and all the way to Vershire, Vermont. Meeting all kinds of new and interesting people has been a real blessing for me as it has given me people to share various memories with. My experiences here have taught me so much and the memories I have made will be forever cherished.
This year can be broken down into several categories. For now, I am starting with academics. Having been brought up in a complete British education system, the American education system was a new experience. The concept of small assignments and projects given throughout the year which accumulate toward your final grade instead of one big final that would determine your grade was foreign to me. However, after some time I began to see how much more rewarding this approach to academics was,. Thanks to a lot of knowledge brought forward from my high school, and a lot of hard work and commitment, I was able to successfully finish my first year on the Dean's List. For the future, I intend to take more classes that will diversify and expand my thoughts and the way I perceive the world around me. My current classes predominantly consist of engineering related classes and I hope to take a plethora of classes outside my major since my goal when leaving college is to come out as a smarter man who isn't limited to the knowledge of a single field of study.
My involvements on campus have helped me realize my passions for leadership, teaching and community engagement. I have accumulated nearly 35 hours of community service work ranging from organizations such as Clean Up Cincy to Spark UC which I feel blessed to be a part of. I have spent a considerable amount of time in the Executive Committee of the Engineering and Applied Science Tribunal. My time here as a Treasurer intern has shown me the inner workings of a Tribunal and Student Government in general and has rekindled my passions for leadership again. I have accepted a position as a Peer Leader for the Fall of 2016 and I look forward to mentoring incoming freshmen in whatever topics may puzzle them about college life or in their classes. Overall however, I feel like I could have contributed more to the community in general and, as a personal goal, will aim to do so in the years to come at this institution. Therefore, if there were one thing I would change about this year it would have been to reach out to my community more often in any form of service necessary.
One of the biggest things I am grateful for during my first year of college is the people I have met. My peers and friends have helped me in countless instances to make my transition into this lifestyle as smooth as possible. I have formed lasting bonds with multiple people here in ways that I hope will last the test of time. The conversations and discussions I am having, whether comical or philosophical, have changed me for the better in ways I could not have imagined. It truly is a blessed feeling to have a group of friends I can share experiences with for years to come.
I'd like to finish by talking about my goals for the next year. In general, I would advise myself to allocate my time efficiently to my personal life and my academic life as these past semesters have shown me that sometimes I swing both ways too much too frequently. By finding a smoother middle ground to rest on in terms of the time I spend, I will be able to fully enjoy a wholesome college experience. My one goal for the following semesters would be to be go out of my way and get involved in activities both on campus and off. These would include anything I may feel passionate in or something I may find new passion in. The university is my oyster. Another goal I have set is to take at least one non engineering class and to take a class that would be more ethics and philosophy oriented. This entire year seemed liked one big roller coaster ride, with various ups and down, but in the end it really was an incredible ride. When I entered the university, I was very academics oriented, wanting to just finish with my degree and nothing more. This year has taught me to stop and smell the roses, to take in everything that is going on around me and that there are so many more important things in life than a perfect GPA and, for that, I am extremely grateful. Overall, I would like to finish by restating that this year has been nothing short of life changing in that I have come out of it as a new person and hope that my life in college continues to bring out the best in me.
Also, here's a little video I compiled of some of my favorite memories from freshman year. Clearly I'm not the best at video editing but I gave it a good shot.