Wake Me if You’re Out There

As I look out of the window of the plane headed home for Fall Break, I don’t see the tarmac. Rather, I’m enamored by the reflection of myself in dirty glass.

My face looks the same as it did when I left two months ago, but somehow I see someone entirely different.

Two months ago, I saw terror. Today, I see confidence.

8 weeks ago, I took a leap into the unknown. By stepping on to that plane in Memphis, I punched my ticket to an opportunity ill-afforded to those from my world. It was an opportunity that I scratched and clawed for, but once it was in my hands I realized it was chance for more than just myself. When I entered the illustrious, terrifying gates of the academic and social elite at Yale, I didn’t only have my expectations on my shoulders. Instead, I felt the weight of my entire community and upbringing weighing down upon me.

I haven’t figured it out yet. But now, wrapped in the clutches of the unknown, I don’t feel bogged down by that weight— I’m released by it.

I will continue exploring my new world because I can.

As I take a brief respite from Yale and make the journey home, I understand in my reflection that my experiences so far, both good and bad, and the people I have encountered have changed who I am and how I interact with myself and my background…