Now that I’ve reached the mid-point of my sophomore year of college, I look at how I have transitioned through becoming more involved with different organizations on campus. In addition to these clubs and activities, I have also tried to step out of my comfort zone through trying new things and making new friends on campus. I have made a lot of progress in putting myself out in the social world; however, I still have trouble with the typical struggles that come with being an introvert. These range from overthinking my social actions and the words I’m about to say in a social interaction to trying to avoid social interaction altogether in an attempt to minimize the chance of me sounding weird. While I still occasionally have to deal with these social problems, I am making great progress in becoming more comfortable in social settings.
One of the ways I combated my social anxiety was by stepping out of my comfort zone and doing things that would force me to take on new challenges, become more social and challenge myself to change. Last year I joined many activities on campus and took part in many different events. This helped me meet new people and find out about things that I never knew I enjoyed before. Through my exploration of the writing world, writing stand-up comedy and writing for Edge, I was able to finally declare a major in Journalism-Communication here on campus.
In addition to declaring a major, I conquered one of my biggest fears: public speaking. Through writing and performing stand-up comedy at the Gannon Knight Club, I was able to finally have a voice in a performance aspect of writing. Performing stand-up comedy also helped me make new friends on campus and become better at relaxing in tense social situations. Through performing at the Schuster Theater in a play, joining a fraternity and conquering my fear of public speaking, I have done a lot to help combat my overly introverted personality this year.
Last semester, I ascended to the next level in my quest to get out, make friends and meet new people through joining a fraternity on campus. Here I met some really interesting people and have since been able to participate in new events and experiences,
With the beginning the Spring semester of my sophomore year, I have not only continued with the new groups and people I have met in the past year, but also gotten involved with the Schuster Theater, broadening my horizons with performance and meeting new people who are artistic like me. While I have made a lot of progress in going out and making a change in my life, I still have a long way to go before I can say I am completely comfortable in brand new social situations.
