Don’t Worry, Be Happy

At risk of sounding overdramatic, I’ve wanted to be a part of the Normandy Scholars program since my freshman year (for context: I’m currently a rising senior). My former roommate first brought it to my attention when she told me about her dad’s experience with the University of Texas’s program. She talked about how much he learned both in class and abroad, how fun the trip was, and how close he and his fellow scholars became. Listening to her, I was intrigued and a little envious.
Upon learning about Tennessee’s own Normandy Scholars program, I was ecstatic. I spent ages working on my application and drove my roommates up the wall with my unending worry that I wouldn’t be chosen. It was something I wanted so incredibly badly, so you can image my excitement when I got my acceptance email.
However, there’s this worry that begins to grow when one is a little too excited or invested in something, when something has been so mentally built up that it could hardly live up to expectations. I’m a worrier by nature so, upon acceptance, I merely swapped one fear for another.
Thankfully, both were never realized. Simply put, Normandy Scholars was everything I hoped for and more. Like many others on the program, I can say with relative ease that it was one of the best experiences of my college. Not only did I get to travel and study in three amazing countries, but I got to do it with dear friends like Jaime. Exploring cities that I had been longing to see for years, I grew closer with people I would have otherwise never met. Honestly, I don’t actually have the words to describe how incredible everything was, but I’ll probably keep trying to for the next few months