At the beginning of my summer in 2020, I was so happy to be out of school and not have to worry about an upcoming test for the next four months. I would wake up late, eat, paint, play video games, and do all sorts of things to kill time. After a month of this routine, I realized I didn’t feel the same anymore. I became upset because I was wasting my days away. I felt lazy and stagnant and now longed for school to start. As the first day of college drew near, I became more and more excited for the student life again. I thought that a busier schedule would force me to be productive, thus making me happier. It was my first week of the Fall quarter with 19 units of English, Chemistry, Biology, Algebra, and an Honors class, I was ready to grab the bull by the horns . . . but soon ended up getting trampled.
People told me college was going to be difficult but not HOW and in what ways made it that way. In high school, we used a term system in which I had eight classes for the entire year. I had four of the same classes during terms 1 and 3, and a different set of four classes during terms 2 and 4, so transitioning to four classes for only ten weeks was extremely rough. Every day I was in my room doing homework and studying for hours on end. I remember one time I went downstairs to fill up my water container, and when I went to go back upstairs to my room, my mom said to me, “Okay, see you in four hours when you come back down.” It made me sad to hear that, but what could I do? I had to finish my pile of homework, take notes, write essays, read articles and Sophie’s World for Honors, and study for upcoming exams. No matter how much I did, I felt like I was falling apart and falling behind. If I said that WAS NOT the most stressed I’ve been in my life, I’d be lying. I didn’t know how else to let out my frustration, so I just cried to my friend. The crying went on every few days for three weeks until he finally said something that completely changed my mindset.
If I were to advise an incoming freshman, I’d say exactly what he told me. When times get tough, you need to think back to the deeper why of what you are doing, and for me that “why” was my family. I’m going through college not just for my living family, but for my family members who have passed away as well. They would want to see me push myself because they believe in me more than I do in myself. Now when times get stressful, I always think back to “For them, past and present,” a saying I made that is now engraved in my mind. To my fellow stress criers, you know what needs to be done; just do it, you’re wasting time crying when you could be working. It’s okay to let out a cry, but don’t let it stop you from working your hardest. In terms of advice I’d give straight out of my mind I would say to count your blessings, paste your Zoom links into Google Calendar (if online because it is such a lifesaver), try going paperless (I recently got a Windows 7 pro and I am in LOVE), and take care of yourself.
Despite that hard time I went through, I fell in love with La Sierra and its community of both staff and students. I’m currently in UHNR 114, The Scientific Process, with Dr. Motschiedler and Dr. Trueblood and I enjoy that class because it reminds me that professors are really cool people with hobbies and interests outside of their field of work. At first glance, I would have never guessed that Dr. Motschidler collects art and that Dr. Trueblood loves Harry Potter. I genuinely enjoy both our academic and nonacademic conversations in class. I’m also really grateful for the new relationships I’ve made so far. As much as college is about academics, it is also where people build their fondest memories and life-long friends. I’d like to give thanks to my new friends who helped me know that I am not alone in this journey: all the freshmen in Honors, Ariana Dimalanta, Esteban Castro, Earick Jastine Cagang, Alexis Mandap, and all the other amazing people I’ve met in this short period. When my time at La Sierra comes to an end, I hope to create more close relationships not only with the La Sierra community but with God as well, and also earn that degree.
— Deanna Shanelle (Asia) Estebar (Biology, Class of 2024)