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One Busy Week

Last week was probably one of the busiest weeks of my life. When I was granted the role of special events coordinator of my organization, I knew it would be difficult. I was constantly reminded by both the president and vice president of how hard my position, but, just being Elizabeth, I tried to stay optimistic and do my best to rise to the occasion. Being special events coordinator means I coordinate special events (hence the name).

Ironically, my job was smooth sailing…until we reached the end of the school year. All of a sudden several “special events” had to put on by me and my assistant. Nothing could compare to the Spring Charity Gala we had to put on: calls after calls, emails after emails, approval forms after approval forms. All of a sudden, the people that assured you they would help were MIA. It was more than overwhelming. My organization depending on us, and so was the charity to which we were donating. In the midst of all this, I was still a student, and organic chemistry was calling my name. I had to learn how to balance the two, to ensure success for myself and my organization.  Come the day of the event, my assistant and I were still running like chickens with their heads cut off, but somehow everything worked out by that evening. Everyone came out and enjoyed themselves. I am incredibly grateful that the school year ended on a great note, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next school year has in store.

Focusing on What’s Important

Midterms are upon us, and it’s so overwhelming. In our attempts to maintain or improve our grades, we are stressed to the point of no return. Studying for hours upon hours, some of us only getting few hours of sleep, we wonder how the human body can take all the stress. We all want to be successful, but I realize now that there is a fine line between being a studious student and having your studies engross you.

Last year, as a freshman, I let my studies define me. It was my way of self-approval. So when I didn’t do well on a quiz or an exam, my self-approval plummeted, and I felt like nothing. This obsession with making a 4.0 affected the way I interacted with my friends, my family, and myself. It ate me up, and I hated it. I realized I had hit a bottom that I thought I would never reach, and I knew I had to make a change. After a ton of self-reflection, I realized how unimportant everything was. Of course grades are important; however, at the moment, I needed to become confident in my purpose. I made an internal agreement, agreeing that if I was meant to be a doctor, it would absolutely happen as long as I continue to do my best. Making that realization alleviated a lot of the stress I was experiencing at that time. It helped my refocus on the important aspects in life.

Now, as a sophomore, I have a completely new mindset. I study as hard as I can, but when I see that my body (physically, mentally, and emotionally) is weak, I quickly take a step back and rest so I don’t fall into that overwhelming ditch once again. My grades are improving, and everything is working out, and I am hugely optimistic about my future. When you start to feel like school may be the death of you, take a step back and revaluate. You may see what you should change in your approach, and hopefully, from there, things will fall into place.