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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

I’ve always considered myself somewhat of a perfectionist. I was always an A+ student throughout school and if I got below a 95%, I would cry. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that serious. 

I wanted to be the best at everything and felt a particular calling toward any topic a teacher told me I was good at. I was told early in elementary school that I was “bad” at art, and so I stopped trying in art class and focused more on music.

I always wanted to learn piano and guitar, but after two guitar lessons, my teacher told me I didn’t have the hand shape to continue learning. Every time I was shut down by a teacher, I stopped trying. 

When I arrived at Bonas, I discovered that many people know a lot more than I do…and that’s okay. It’s taken me some time to realize that I am just as worthy as they are to be in a class and I am allowed to learn from where I am. 

The class I see this the most in right now is my theology through film class. In all honesty I have always been more of a fan of tv series over sitting down and watching a film. But one of my friends wanted me to take the class with him and so I registered for it and fought to enroll in it when all the spots were taken. 

Instead of letting this stop me and cause me to think that it must be fate that I don’t take the class, I turned my perspective to, “it’s out of my comfort zone, and that’s okay”. 

Often, I feel uneducated and unworthy to be in the class. It’s something I can usually brush off, but I know the professor sees my panic when he asks the class a question and I hesitate to raise my hand. I want to be a more active student and participate like my peers do, but I never feel like I have enough information to give constructive comments. 

When I was younger, I wanted to become more politically aware. I didn’t know the best way to gain a perspective and so I avoided doing my research until about two years ago. I still don’t talk super openly about politics, but I am learning. I don’t know all the policies, nor can I identify what each role of a U.S. Representative is. 

I am allowed to keep on learning and growing in my knowledge. I do not have to have all the answers, especially at 19 years old. I have worked hard to learn past what my parents taught me, and that in itself is an accomplishment. Knowing my opinion has value and that I never have to stop learning has changed my perspective greatly. 

I am a work in progress and it’s beautiful!

Alexis Serio is a shadow to the editors of the St. Bonaventure Her Campus chapter. She is gaining the skills to edit and critique her HC sisters’ articles, as well as growing in her own writing abilities. Alexis is looking forward to becoming more involved with HC and refining her skills. Alexis is a sophomore studying Communication, Social Justice & Advocacy and Spanish with a concentration in theology. Aside from Her Campus, Alexis serves as the service and community outreach officer for Jandoli Women in Communication. She also works for the Franciscan Center for Social Concern and Mt. Irenaeus as an assistant and as a communications intern, respectively. In her free time, Alexis enjoys reading and listening to music with friends. She is always open to listening to a new artist, but her current favorite is Noah Kahn. Alexis loves to go on chatty walks and explore new places!