VOICE OF THE VOICELESS

With midterms ending last week, it’s a good time to reset ourselves for the other half of the semester.

We can sit back and look at the grades we have, check them out and taking the necessary steps to either improve them or keep them exactly where they are.

It’s a good time to look back at the friends that we’ve made over this semester. Have we expanded the group of people that we know? Are we happy or content with how many friends we have or do we want to increase that?

Are we satisfied with the choices that we made this semester? Did we go that extra mile for something? Have we been stepping it up at practices? Are we contributing to the problem or are we taking the steps to be the change we want to see around us?

Is the living situation that you are in going the way you expected it to? Are you completely getting along with the person, or are you just butting heads left and right? Have you made a friend because of it, or are you just bumping shoulders with a body who happens to live in the same place as you?

All the things above are just stressing issues that I see my friends and myself dealing with every single day.

Sometimes the answer to your problems is right in front of your face. It takes you just stepping back and looking at the situation to understand it.

If you’re struggling in class, talk to your professor, seek tutoring help and ask your advisor to help you. Sitting back and just being a stick-in-the-mud about it won’t bring your grade up any higher. Going the extra mile and showing effort can make all the difference in a B becoming an A.

If you haven’t made many friends, it’s not a bad thing; sometimes you don’t make friends from people in class, sometimes its people you meet when you join clubs or on your sports team. Sometimes you can make friends with someone who you keep running into constantly for some odd reason.  Humans are made to connect with each other, that’s just nature.

When it comes to living with someone, you have to make an attempt to communicate with them. If you are having boundary issues, then express that to them. Whether it’s touching your stuff, eating your food, cleaning up their stuff, or having people over just speak to them. If you have to keep speaking to them, then speak to your resident assistant.

With being an athlete here, you aren’t just representing the school, you’re representing your family as well. Would family be proud of you skipping practice, or not giving the extra mile? Push yourself, get into better shape, and give more of yourself to the team. Working hard will pay off in the end. Maybe not this year, but coaches remember things into the next year. Leave a positive lasting impression for the summer into next year.

Now is the time to take the next step, put in the extra effort, speak up more, get involved more, and get out more. Now is the time to try. If you try, no one can fault you if it doesn’t go your way because you gave your best effort. Turn the bad into a learning experience and make yourself better.