shannonbui516

Let’s be real, the term University is actually really scary. Growing up in private school since kindergarten, the word SHELTERED comes to my mind. As I grew up, my parents strongly believed that hard work and education were the major keys to success. They immigrated to the United States, as refugees after the fall of Vietnam in 1975. With literally nothing, my grandparents started their way by being custodians for an elementary school during the day and sales clerks for gas stations at night. To earn extra money for his family, my father, at the age of 12, delivered newspapers before heading to school. With hard work and determination, my parents managed to graduate from college, my mother with a bachelor in Microbiology and my father in Electrical Engineering. With many hardships and unhappy career locations, my father decided to quit his job to attend medical school. During his residency, my brother and I were born. Childcare was expensive for both of us, and so, my mother resigned as a microbiologist for LSU’s School of Medicine in order to take care of us in a one-bedroom apartment in New Orleans, Louisiana. I still recalled the fond memories of sleeping on the floor with my brother.

Throughout life, people were influenced by the environment and experiences they came from. One of the most important influences on people’s life came directly from their family. Based on their childhood’s experiences, my parents always kept me in a sheltered environment. My family schemed the most effective and protective environment for me, which resulted in a relative isolation of my life. In the suburbs of Houston, I grew up in a very loving and caring family upbringing. However, this environment prevented me from seeing the real world and the people within it. It was a world that I have only begun to experience the last few years of my life. My family’s influence on my life pressured me to adapt to the ideal image of a perfectly sheltered small town lifestyle. At the time, my parents’ protection influenced how I behaved, felt, and acted towards the outside world. In my head, I only knew and saw the good in others.

When it came time for college, I decided to branch apart from my family and made the haste decision to live on campus. At the age of 18, I was finally living on my own for the very first time. Although less than an hour away, I was faced with the harsh reality of being independent. During a time when I thought I was still a child, I experienced a quick crash course in adulthood. I no longer had that protection over my head that my parents provided. My freshman year was not only a learning experience, but also a way to teach me what loss was. Not only I was lost in school for the first time, but I also experienced the loss of two family members, my beloved grandfather and great-grandmother. I felt disoriented with finding friends whom I could call real and genuine. The reality of this situation meant that I eventually had to carry more of my own weight to cope and be my own support system.

The realization of this at a young age felt suffocating. Fear, depression, and anger came to mind as I felt out of my comfort zone. It was during this time of my life that a sense of dismay entered my mind. I saw how things could easily crumble under pressure. The perfect image of life that I had imprinted into my head from my parents, soon collapsed as I entered out of my sheltered world and into the reality of life. Something I’ve never had to experience before.

These experiences were unfortunately necessary and beneficial for my maturity. With lots of adversity and challenges, it was my own decision and determination to be persistent during hardships to pursue my dreams. Through the challenges of being on my own, I learned to self motivate and encourage myself. It would’ve been easy for me to break down and give up; however, my experiences helped me realize that I possessed the strength and maturity needed to pursue my aspirations. I quickly learned that education became my way of coping and dealing with distractions.

So yeah, the term University for me was scary. You’re thrown into a group with people who are just as lost as you. But I learned a lot of tips through all of this.

1. You have a chance to start all over.
   1. What I mean by this? You start at a clean slate. How people view you is based on your own persona, so you have the power to change this. Instead of being that weird, lazy kid in high school, you can change into a funny, hardworking, go- getter. You no longer need to hold onto who you were in high school, this is your chance to be the person you want to be.
2. There is such thing as having fun.
   1. I know as a freshman I thought that being in college was all about going to class, coming home and heading straight back to the books. Pulling all nighters was a must. I felt guilty for any minute I was out getting food or hanging out with friends. The funny thing is, this actually wears you out. So reward yourself by having fun even if you feel guilty.
3. You’re going to hate your classes.
   1. The biggest lie people say is that they’re actually having fun studying. The first year of college is so terrible. So is the second year classes. The professors make these courses twenty times harder than it needs to be, in hopes to weed out people. So no matter how badly you’re suffering, you will get through it. The courses do get harder
4. Start volunteering more.
   1. Join a research team, an officer position, etc.
5. Don’t be afraid to drop a major and switch.
6. Be open to finding love even if you weren’t planning to.
   1. Sometimes God works in funny ways and he sends you someone in your life to distract you and make you happy at the same time. Sure heartbreak sucks, but these things weirdly teach you a lot, like it did when I was a stupid blind 18 year old in college.
7. Realize that you will have friends that will change and that’s OK
8. No one knows what they are doing with their lives either!
9. Stop stressing about how everyone else is doing around you.
   1. Everyone always seems like they have things 100x more put together with their lives than you do, but honestly they don’t. Truth is, some people think this about me and honestly deep down inside I’m freaking out, I’m pretending too.
10. Don’t be afraid to change for the better.
11. Your life plans are going to change.
    1. During this past year, I thought my plans were set in stone. “I wanted this certain job, so to get there I had to apply here, do this, write this, study this.” Lol, this was so false. The program that you’re killing yourself to get into, or the job you think you want, isn’t worth the stress you’re giving out. So work hard and at the end of the day, do your best. If God wants you to do it, he will give you what you need.
12. It wont be easy.
    1. Life just isn’t fair and easy.
13. Not being able to do everything isn’t a sign of weakness.
    1. I pushed myself and I thought I was a perfectionist. I overloaded my course load and affected my mental health. I was so tired and not willing to admit it. But I’ve realized that it is perfectly acceptable to recognize how far your limits are and to give up some of your commitments to help yourself.
14. 8 am’s are a NO-NO.
    1. I’m still not sure how I woke up every morning at 6 AM for school in high school, but in a university 8 AM class, found myself half asleep.
15. You’re not a FAILURE.
    1. Okay, so growing up, I was always afraid of being a failure to my parents. I felt the pressure of being as successful, I felt like I had to do exactly what my life path was determined to be or else I was a let down. I feared failing, I feared that I was wasting thousands of dollars on a course I knew I had the potential to fail in. And mostly, I feared that my parents wouldn’t love me anymore if I didn’t do the path they planned for me since I was born. LOL, boy was I wrong. You do what makes you happy. You will fail, you will change career paths, you will be that let- down. But at the end of the day, your parents will love you and support you no matter what. In a sense, it has made my relationship with my parents way stronger, the ultimate goal in life is happiness. So don’t be afraid to alter your life goals.

While these things are some of the key things I have learned the past 3.5 scary years, I had the best experience ever and it has shaped me into everything I’ve ever imagined. I couldn’t have done it without my family and friends. So thank you all, for allowing me to grow daily!

Love Ya’ll.