As a child, I jumped from activity to activity hoping to find one that would stick. 

Seriously, my parents tried so hard to find something, anything that I liked. We began with ballet: I didn’t really have the patience. Then, swimming: I was pushed a bit too hard and, honestly, I was a delicate child. Soccer: too much cardio for a girl that just wanted to talk about American Girl dolls. Then, violin: I played for nearly a decade until a voice deep inside told me I wasn’t good enough to keep playing. Horseback riding: got into a tiff with one of the other girls, left a bad taste in my mouth for the culture. Hip-hop: forgot half of the routine when it came time to perform. Art classes: made one solid piece for our living room and claimed it was sufficient. 

The thing is, I did enjoy trying out new activities—I just never quite stood out. When I didn’t become a prodigy within the first ten seconds of trying, I would become violently uncomfortable. I’ve always hated being bad at anything (and don’t even get me started on any type of water game). 

I have interests, of course. I could talk about pretty much all of Martin Scorcese’s films (not in a film bro way, I promise), and give a detailed description of every Amy Winehouse song, but being surrounded by people who can literally lap me multiple times on the track or can belt out a perfect note—is truthfully horrifying. We’ve all heard the expression, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” but it’s inevitable when your environment is made up of well-rounded people. 

I’ve always appreciated these utterly fascinating individuals though. In all honesty, I feel envious that they’ve found the thing they love and enjoy so much. There’s a sense of pride that they exert when something related to it comes up, and I’ve since realized I love engaging with these people. 

People are what I am fascinated by. 

I love seeing my friends laugh, and I enjoy watching their facial expressions when they talk about a situation they just can’t seem to get over. Being in discussions together about our histories and backgrounds often changes our perspectives of one another. Bringing all sorts of people together and just seeing if they click brings me the utmost joy. It’s an indescribable and exciting feeling when you find a few people who mesh perfectly with you. Even if it’s a person I meet one night and never see again, I’ll continue to bring them up for the next few months just because of one unique quality they had. 

As a freshman, I hope to be introduced to lots of different interests and explore even more passions. I pledge to continue my ways of childhood and put myself in a weird range of activities.

Hopefully, something will stick! 

Julia 

Edited by Allison Defriece & Kate Castello