#nataboutcollege

I have always been a person who likes to separate herself from the crowd, I like to go where no one has been, wear something that no one would ever wear, and challenge myself to be different and stand out. When applying to college, I wanted to apply everywhere. I wanted to go where no one went. As life would have it, I ended up going to the one school where absolutely everyone I knew was; even my dad graduated from Northeastern!

Before arriving at Northeastern, I was really afraid that I was not going to be able to separate myself, that I would have the same life I had back in Panama. As I spoke to some people I knew, I realized that this was not something to dread. Even though most of the people from Panama that study abroad go to Boston, I decided that nothing would stop me from creating my dream college experience. My advice: you do you.

To my surprise: I actually enjoy having so many people from back home around me, it does help to find some familiarity near. I love having the best of both worlds at my disposal, plus, my international friends started to love hanging out with my other friends from Panama as well.

Balance is key, and sometimes I struggle with this a lot. But at the end of the day, you are in college and ultimately you can do whatever the h*ll you want. You'll see the people you want to see and you can choose your groups of friends, not only in Boston but anywhere. So, if you are struggling with something similar to this, worry not, in college, you are completely independent to be (or not to be) who you want.