This past December a major event in my life took place, I graduated from my university. I posted my graduation pictures in celebration of my accomplishment and had received congrats from friends and family alike. My graduation from college serves as much more than academic achievement, it serves as a life experience. I went through a lot including a death in my family, financial issues and depression. My first year in college a very close family member of mine passed away. I never experienced a death of a loved one and was naive to how the world worked and moved on in spite of your sadness. I was depressed during my first year and didn't know how to handle it. I had made up in my mind that I was going to withdraw from school in the middle of my second semester. I hadn't talked to anyone except my English professor I was talking to her about my grade in the course. I stopped turning in adequate work and I went to my professor to talk about my grade and I kind of spilled open. I was in her office in tears telling her what was happening in my life and how I planned to withdraw and she was really nice and tried to convince me not to. She told me that giving up is not what that family member would have wanted. I still decided I wasn't stable enough to be in school so I tried to go through with the withdrawal. I told the dean of my college why I wanted to withdraw and she told me the death of a close family member is not a sufficient reason to withdraw from school. So I was forced to stay and continue to fail my classes.
The rest of my years I had to rebuild my grades and the value I lost for education. I was involved in an organization the next year that really helped me to get through a lot of struggles in my life because of writing. I had something I loved to do and I could measure the impact of my work. The organization also taught me a lot about myself, and business and it was one of the greatest experiences in college. So I eventually I begin to heal from what happened. One thing I realize about depression is that it really makes you avoid contact with people. Especially those that love you. I have to admit for a little while I avoided God. After so long battling with depression and I had grew tired and really wanted to heal. Around my third year I sought a real relationship with God. I wanted to get better. I watched church on tv, I read the bible, I read books. I changed my eating habits. I changed myself. I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I stopped being the victim of my circumstances.
After years of giving up I was on my way to feeling better. It took me 5.5 years to graduate from college and after all I went through I truly believe God didn't want me to leave that university until I had learned what I needed to learn from being there. I think until then I wasn't allowed to move on to the next phase of my life. I am a lot healthier emotionally and I am thankful for my troubles because of what it has allowed me to learn through them.
