Leave meeting, close, shut down...

This is how I left the last session of my last semester. If I were to imagine this day before this whole chaos we are living in, I would see myself coming out of class with my friends smiling and thanking the amazing professors I had the chance to meet. Then, I would go with my two closest friends to a near restaurant where we would enjoy a hot meal for a fair price and talk about our future plans. I am the type of person who loves to have a clear plan in mind. I knew what university and what major to choose since I was 14 years old. Today, for the first time, I have no idea what is coming ahead. The biggest lesson I’ve learned this year is that things don’t always work out as we planned. However, this doesn’t mean that we should sit down desperately and stop dreaming. On the contrary, we should push ourselves to dream and plan so much more to save ourselves from this black hole. But this time, don’t hold high expectations. Do what you must do, but keep a plan B and be aware of all the possibilities.

Another very important lesson I learned this year is to seize every single opportunity as it might be your only chance. Looking back at the first year of university, I remember being alone, not really having any friends, but somehow pushing myself to participate in every possible event I could benefit from. I participated in the Model Youth Parliament, which turned out to be an exceptional experience, and in many workshops held in different campuses of our dear university. I remember waiting for the workshops to begin alone outside the classes, feeling shy and awkward. I now realized that if I hadn’t pushed myself back then to go there and actually participate in those events no matter how shy and awkward I felt, I wouldn’t have been able to do it again as we started studying from home in the first half of the second year.

Studying from home is, for sure, not the same as being physically present in class. Nevertheless, we can’t deny the fact that our exceptional administration and determined professors did everything they could to make this experience as smooth and beneficial as possible. I thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for all your efforts in helping us overcome all obstacles. I also promise you to keep everything you taught us in mind (and heart) to overcome all future obstacles and reach my goals. Let the journey begin!

Hanine Jaafar, L6