It’s hard to believe that six years have gone by since I drove through the campus with my family, on route to Donnelly halls back in 2017. The excitement of freshers week was underway, though my heart was aflutter with anticipation for the upcoming four years.
Little did I know that my journey would extend to four years, a resit year and a master’s degree. Even though the duration of my university experience took as long as my secondary school years, these past six years have truly raced by in the blink of an eye.
At the tender age of 17, I believed I had reached adulthood, convinced of my all-encompassing knowledge and under the impression that university would be a walk in the park. Little did I know I was yet to endure some of the toughest years I had ever faced.
Out of my close school friends, just one opted for the University of Stirling, and the prospect of forging an entirely new circle of friends rattled me. The idea of interacting with new people seemed daunting, as if everyone around me was critically evaluating my every move.
Thankfully, during the later part of my first year, I had the fortune of crossing paths with two individuals who remained my dearest friends throughout our time there and who I still consider my best friends. Additional friendships blossomed and faded as the years went on.
It also led to finding my partner at Stirling, fulfilling my younger self’s dream of a university love story.
However, anxiety loomed around making friends due to my lower economic background and being the first in my family to attend university. Free tuition in Scotland made it possible for me to enrol, but financial constraints limited my participation in activities like sports teams.
Regrettably, I let anxiety deter me from early involvement with Brig, despite aspiring to journalism.
In my final undergrad year, I summoned the courage to publish articles. A year of writing emboldened me to run for and achieve the head of social media position in The paper you are reading, Brig a role I continued during my master’s.
Featured Image credit : Robyn Duffy
BA (Hons) Film, Media and Journalism graduate. Freelance Journalist for Brig Newspaper and Entertainment Daily. Head of Social Media for Brig Newspaper.
Passionate about diversity, inclusion and representation.
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