Virgil once said “Audaces fortuna iuvat (Latin)- fortune favors the bold” and while many agree, I believe , instead, that those who are brave harness fortune. They pounce onto it, mounting it like a wild stallion, not letting fear nor obstacles obstruct their path to success. Throughout my very long seventeen years of life every action of mine was questioned, every dream was criticized. My ears where being drowned by the the constant phrase “you can’t do this.” I was told I couldn’t be strong. I was told I couldn’t do kickboxing, get good grades, like blocks and legos. Every turn I made on the yellow brick road of life someone told me I could’t do something, that I had to be “more like a girl.” Their opinions and ideals were somehow far important than my happiness.
These waves of criticism or “advice” on how to live my life where as if the waters from the river Styx, potent and scorching, extracting the breath from my lunges, setting every cell in my body on fire. However, this engulfing fire ignited an internal flame in my soul. I was motivated to prove everyone wrong; the mere fact that I was born with two x chromosomes wasn’t going to stop me from reaching my full potential. I wasn’t going to stand there taking in the constant bombardment of “can nots”. No, I was going to annihilate all my barriers and accomplish everything I set my mind too, even if I was a girl. These constant reminders in life, that I am somehow inept to achieve something just because I am a female, sculpted me into a determined and flexible individual. Today, I am able to be strong and pursue my ambitions and yet like a nimble blade of grass survive an impending storm. I have learned to respect others opinions, but most importantly I learned how to respect myself, not letting someone’s stereotypical beliefs prevent me from growing.
As a wanderer, I see life as a never ending yellow brick road, with twist and turns that disrupt the linear progression, but pave a far more interesting journey. Adventure is out there in life, and the greatest one of all is traveling the road of self discovery and growth. These beliefs transcend into my college expectations, as I intend to expand my knowledge: knowledge of myself and the world. I aspire to become the best possible version of myself, therefore, discovering new hobbies, and using the guidance as well as Baruch’s diversity to refine my taste, challenge my beliefs, and acquire the skills I need to ornate my journey to success.
Firsts are always difficult, and the first semester of college doesn’t lose potency on the difficulty meter. In fact, the hardships might actually burgeon. In order to make this adventure in life as smooth yet exciting as humanly possible I will need to work on time management and leaping beyond my comfort zone so that I can excavate latent passions and abilities, and make my story an interesting one. After all, we are all stories in the end…
Keep on wandering,
Tamara Barbakova