My first semester of college was a rollercoaster to say the least, so when second semester came around, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. So much of my fall was spent exploring the freedom, friendships, and opportunities waiting for me. So, with spring’s much more difficult course load, I knew I had to find the balance between continuing the invaluable ride of self-exploration with learning about chemistry and finishing my biology labs. I still haven’t quite nailed down this balance, but my second semester introduced me to the different ways in which I’m able to successfully do both, a skill that will last a lifetime.
My second semester also taught me the value that true friendship holds. The fall was filled with making new friends and meeting new people, but it wasn’t until time had run its course that I saw who my closest friends were and all the ways in which they made my life better, every single day. We found ourselves leaning on each other for support, as well as sharing our good days and those less happy.
Perhaps the most important thing that I’ve learned during this semester is to never take anything for granted. With the pandemic flipping our worlds upside down, I’ve realized that I don’t want to spend my life rushing through days to get to the weekend or spend hours complaining about things I have no control over. While I’m lucky to be living in Redding next year as an RA, moving out of my dorm in March is an experience I’ll never forget. While I wish the lesson could have been taught a different way, I aim to cherish all the moments, big and small. I want to live in the moment and spend less time worrying about the future or contemplating on the past.
As humans, we should aim to be lifelong learners. I may not have come across a rare discovery or a ground-breaking realization, but this semester taught me a lot of different, little things that are sure to follow me throughout the rest of my life. Just like the discussions in this English class have enriched my understanding and perspectives of certain topics, so has my second semester on my perspectives of the world.
Selma Cemerlic
English 110 Honors Spring 2020 
I really like how despite all of the major events happening around the world this semester, you highlight all the “little things that are sure to follow [you] throughout the rest of [your] life.” I can relate to how the second semester for you was a way to solidify many things you learned first semester and was a way to finally get comfortable. I think that’s what made leaving so suddenly even harder. I also don’t think I’ll ever forget packing up and leaving my dorm room, it was such a surreal experience. I think it’s also really great that you used this opportunity as an experience to grow and learn more about how you want to live your life going forward. When you said that you “don’t want to spend [your] life rushing through days to get to the weekend or spend hours complaining about things [you] have no control over,” I couldn’t agree more. Even now I still catch myself just trying to get through the week, but I have learned that even the most simple tasks will feel like the biggest luxury when we can all see one another again. Great post and I hope the end of the semester goes smoothly!
Cally
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Selma,
I always love reading your blog posts because they are very relatable, written beautifully and do a great job intertwining life lessons throughout. In particular, I love your sentence flow in this sentence” “We found ourselves leaning on each other for support, as well as sharing our good days and those less happy. ” I too can relate to these moments and feelings while finding new friends that are always supportive. Additionally I couldn’t agree more when you wrote “I aim to cherish all the moments, big and small. I want to live in the moment and spend less time worrying about the future or contemplating on the past. ” I find that many times I too busy looking forward to the future and hoping that time will pass quickly that I forget to live in the moment and cherish the present time. Going forwards in life, I really hope to be able to do this as I learn to appreciate all of the small moments in life.
Great piece, good luck on finals!
Redding 5d forever!
~Caroline
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Selma,
I just wanted to say that all of your posts as well as your comments when we were still at school have been very insightful and have forced me to think, which is something that I appreciate. This one in particular was very relatable, because I too had realized who my closest friends were and had finally settled into that as well as my new schedule. I really love how you took something as negative as the pandemic and turned it into a positive. Trying to stay positive is the only way to get through this. I particularly liked the line “I’ve realized that I don’t want to spend my life rushing through days to get to the weekend or spend hours complaining about things I have no control over.” This is what I have learned the most in the past two months, and I hope that we continue to cherish every single moment in the future. Great work, I hope you have a good rest of your semester!
-Katie Graboski
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