Dear Future Ann (& anyone who enjoys reading my HerCampus articles),
Hello from your last week of sophomore year! Writing this article is my current form of “productive procrastination” for the day. I wanted to reflect on all of the positive things that have happened for you this year, and all of our current hopes for the future. Sophomore year has certainly been a year of self-discovery and my favorite year of college so far.
My self-discovery oddly starts with the inclusion of other people in my life. As soon as this year started, I felt as though I was able to start solidifying new and meaningful friendships. As I think about going abroad next year, I am realizing just how much I will miss many of the people here at Holy Cross. Changes in my persona that have allowed me to form these relationships I believe are a result of finally feeling comfortable and confident in who I am and what that means in the context of college. Due to this change in my confidence, I feel as though this year I can affirmatively say I have found the Holy Cross community that makes it feel like a home.
Secondly, I have gained new passions this year through academics, service, and work. I came into sophomore year with my Political Science major declared, and I took a Spanish class as part of my common area cultural requirement. I found myself with mainly Spanish majors in this course, and I decided this was an area of study that I wanted to continue. I am now about to finish a semester where half of my course load was entirely in Spanish, and next fall, I will be taking classes exclusively in Spanish. I also decided to declare a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies where I will get to explore the intersection of my academic interests. As for service, I found myself understanding what service means in an entirely new way after my time with the Spring Break Immersion Program. I learned so much about myself and what it means to enter a community and live with them rather than for them. This year was also the year where I started working in Admissions. Through sharing with prospective students and families all of the things I love about Holy Cross, I have found a new appreciation for everything that I have here.
As for revisiting old passions, I have begun playing tennis, reading, and doing yoga again. All of these hobbies have been things I have enjoyed doing in the past but had decided I did not have time for them. I have made it a priority this year to do the things that “fill my cup” as opposed to always doing things that take my energy away. Tennis–and also pickleball–have been a social and fun way to work out these past two semesters. As for reading, I have been trying to read for fun whether it is a romcom, the news, or occasionally my readings for my classes. I found a love for Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books, and I even found a new favorite book, Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand. Lastly, I have been trying to attend a yoga class every week this semester, which has grounded me mentally and physically. I have noticed myself being able to do the classes a lot better than I could at the beginning, and I feel noticeably less anxious. For me, hobbies that do not have anything to do with Holy Cross are an important part of grounding me, and they were something I was missing.
Sophomore year also allowed me to strengthen the role faith plays in my life. I have always been Catholic, but this year I have begun attending weekly mass as I did when I was younger. This shift in choosing faith on my own accord has been transformative for me. This aspect of my life is one that I do not often share but it is currently quite important to me and the person I aspire to be. I hope that I continue to find ways to incorporate faith into my daily life.
I know that this upcoming year will be another one of growth…that is what your twenties are for! Going abroad will be an experience that is bound to be uncomfortable. I will be living with a host family and speaking primarily Spanish. A whole semester out of my comfort zone is daunting, but I am honestly just incredibly excited.
I hope that when I come back to Holy Cross I still feel this at home if not more so. I cannot wait to see what all of the joys of junior year bring!
With love,
Ann O’Malley
5/2/2024
*I so recommend writing a letter like this to yourself. Writing this has been so therapeutic. You can even use this website to have it emailed back to you https://www.futureme.org/ !