When most of us think about college, we think this is a terminal point of growth, were reaching a pivotal time of acceptance and it’s that moment before we spread our wings fully to adulthood.
Sorority, and senior student at Adelphi University speaks up about the challenges she faced at these moments and what her understanding of this time means. Coming out of high school, I was sad to say goodbye but excited to start a new, nervous and anxious I stepped foot in my first class as a freshmen, to the start of my college experience. I knew I wanted to make the most out of college and really spread myself out there, to allow myself to experience it all so I turned to the ideas of joining a sorority. These are the thoughts experienced by Emily K.
As nerve racking as all of this was, I chose to see what sororities were about, I went against all the judging rumors and comments society and the media presented it to be. Today, Emily is happy for her final decision to seek out the perfect sorority for her. She learned quickly that everything the media and society made it out to be was wrong. Funnily, Emily connected to every part of her growing relationship with her sorority.
Just as her sorority and any sorority are judged, Emily felt judged as well. She faced many bittersweet feelings, anxiety, and fear, but also joy and fun experiences. To Emily’s, understandings this is normal, “don’t we all feel pressure from the media and society?-good and bad?”.
Growing up, she felt extreme pressure about her personal and families’ financial status,. She explains that she sees a lot in the media and in her eyes it is all about money, success, and power. This sets a bar for what society accepts and rejects. And this is where as an individual in society I felt pressure. Her greatest examples of being pressured, starts her senior year of high school. Emily felt that as a senior everyone graduating needs to have a car- and she got one, but every senior in her high school had one.
Emily remembers most kids in middle school and high school feeling easily pressured. As she could best explain it,
“It is like being at an open house party during your high school years and everyone is smoking. And there is that one kid that you can feel his vulnerability and willingness to do anything to fit it so he tries smoking-why? Because that’s what you do, that’s what you think at that age. It’s all about fitting in and being cool!”
Today, Emily is a few months away from graduation. She has hopes and plans to go on to graduate school and become a high school guidance counselor. With her experiences she hopes to walk many children threw and be helpful during these times. Especially, in a growing technological world. She feels even though she still battles with her own identity and insecurities, that in a way it’s normal.
As Emily gets closer and closer to graduation, she knows that her experience’s, in the past, present and in the future will only help build her as a better guidance counselor and she will hopefully fill many high school seniors with positive and curious mindsets about growing into the college scene while finding your sense of self and identifying when, what and how society and the media impact each one of us.
Emily is the greatest inspiritaion for many young adults heading into the beginning of the adult life; and if you wish to seek any further interest in her you can reach her at;
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