I grew up in one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone. I had seen the same faces in school every day since kindergarten, and I had known my two best friends since before we could walk. This might not have been ideal for some people, but I loved our little community. I was filled with a lot of different emotions during the summer between high school and college. I was eager to take the first step towards my goal of becoming a physical therapist, and I was excited to play college soccer. Besides that, though, I was terrified. Everyone seemed excited to start a new chapter in their life, reinvent themselves, or to just get out of their hometown. Meanwhile, I was happy right where I was, and I didn’t want anything to change. When it was finally time to leave, I felt so overwhelmed. The first few days were a blur, but it was actually pretty fun. We were in preseason for soccer, so there weren’t many students on campus yet – it just felt like a soccer camp. After a week or two, though, it finally hit me that I wasn’t in high school anymore, I wasn’t going to be able to see my parents and best friends every day, and I felt like my world had been turned upside down. Suddenly I was a small fish in what felt like a very, very big pond. I prayed to God every night to help me adjust, but weeks went by and I wasn’t feeling any better. I knew that this was all part of God’s plan for me, but I felt like my prayers were going unanswered and I didn’t understand why. I was convinced that I had made the wrong decision, that I should have gone to a different school. I was open with my parents about how I was feeling, and one of the first things they asked me was if I was going to church. We would go every week at home, so not going once I got to college was just another change for me to deal with. I had been making excuses about having too much homework, but I was really just afraid to go by myself. One weekend, I finally went, and eventually I started to look forward to going to church each week. It was something to ground me in my new, uncomfortable environment. I started feeling better about being away from home and also was growing closer to God! I started paying more attention to the readings and tried to apply them to my life. I realized that I had been leaning on God so heavily since I had left home, but I wasn’t holding up my end of the bargain. For me, going to church was the turning point in my college transition. My relationship with God is still growing, but I know that He will help me overcome any hurdle I may face. Just because I don’t understand God’s plan, it doesn’t mean that He doesn’t have one – and I know that He will help me come out stronger every time.
- Sarah Lipniskiss - Allegheny College