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This past week we participated in a college panel for a group of incoming high school juniors that were part of Girls Inc.’s externship program. Our job was to do a sort of speed dating with the girls about college. We talked about the application process, affording college, living in dorms, majors and minors, and getting involved with on campus activities. The panel made more of an impact on me then I expected as I had to look back on my college application process which, despite being only a year and a half ago, feels like it was a lifetime ago. So much has changed and I have become a different version of myself in this one year of college. Seeing the nerves and the excitement of the girls on the brink of diving into the stressful and rather life changing journey of choosing a path to university really took me back. I was reminded of my own anxiety in high school and my fear of not getting into a school that I desired to go to. It seemed so big back then and now looking back on it, everything worked out better than I could have expected. I attend a school that I belong in and I really feel as though it is my home away from home. I can only hope that these girls find what I have found in my first year of college: strong friendships, extracurricular activities that match with my interests, and a strong foundation for pursuing my academic interests.