1. One of the most stressful events of my life was moving into the dorms, freshman year of college. In high school I was a very introverted person, I had a small group of friends but generally didn’t go out very much. I liked working on projects alone and sometimes found it difficult to socialize and fit in with different groups. Moving into the dorms was a huge change for me, I would have to be around people a lot more and I would be living with someone who I had only had 1 or 2 conversations with before. When I first got up to Fort Collins, the anxiety really started to kick in. I was way out of my comfort zone and most of the move in activities were social icebreakers which was putting even more stress and pressure on me. I could feel my attitude turning very negative. Before, I was excited to start college but now I was anxious and felt like I wouldn’t be able to do it. Eventually, I forced myself to commit to the semester and tried being social as best as I could. Shortly after move-in, I found a group of friends with similar interests and my anxiety began to go away. Soon after that, I was hanging out with people regularly and was enjoying my freshman year.
2. The first snapshot is a picture that was taken of me when I was first moving my stuff into the dorms. You can see by my body language how uncomfortable and anxious I was. It almost looks like I’m in prison, staring out the window towards freedom. In fact, the prison analogy was fitting because I felt like I was in a prison of my own mind. The next snapshot is a photo taken a few weeks after move-in. By this time, I had made some good friends and I was doing well in class. The snapshot shows my parents coming to visit me and you can see that I look happier and more confident.
3. The artifact I have is an image from a concert I went to freshman year. I went to the concert with some friends and had a great time. It actually made me realize that I really enjoy going to concerts and I was able to go to several more that year alone.
4. I associate this story with being one of the biggest catalysts for personal growth in my life. Moving into the dorms was an enormous transition for me but I’m glad I did it. I went from being shy and reserved to being more outgoing and I discovered new passions such as going to see live music. Relating my experience to culture and society more generally, I think it’s good to get out of your comfort zone. Once you get over the initial anxiety and stress, it’s usually a very good learning opportunity. I don’t think I would be the same person I am today if I hadn’t committed to living on campus my first year.