As I reflected on this semester today at home, I grew appreciative of where I am in my life and in my Hokie experience. I’ve had a semester full of irreplaceable memories and opportunities. It’s hard for me to absorb the impact these past few months have had on my life and will continue to have down the road. From AFA in Kansas City to being a mentor for the Freshman Leadership Experience (FLEX), I’ve loved every single second of my first semester of sophomore year. I’m grateful for everyone I’ve met, grown closer to, and everything I’ve had the chance to do.

Something that I really love to do is read blog posts or articles that examine life on a deeper, more philosophical level. They help me learn about myself and life aside from what college experience teaches me, and I find them very valuable. One that I found a few weeks ago (as shared by a few of my Facebook friends) really stuck out to me. The first two lines are so powerful as they state, “Understand that life is not a straight line. Life is not a set timeline of milestones.” (Read the article here: http://thoughtcatalog.com/bianca-sparacino/2014/11/how-to-ruin-your-life-without-even-noticing-that-you-are/) Although the author goes in a different direction than my mind does when reading this, it’s so true. You always think about the next step in life. College, then getting a job, then getting married, and so on…but that’s just one thing after another. I feel that society is so hung up on what’s coming next or what’s the next best thing, and that’s really not where our minds or hearts should be. We should embrace every moment now and appreciate it for what it’s worth, not depreciate its value by comparing it to the next best thing coming along.

I have fallen victim to this thinking – that our future is what we should focus on. It’s not my fault, and if you’re accustomed to this thinking too, it’s not your fault either. We all put too much emphasis on the future. But I’m writing this to beg of you to stop.

Going back to my college experience this semester, I really had to prioritize what I’m doing. I’m extremely involved in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and across the Virginia Tech campus. I love getting to know people and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes my way, and that’s just who I am. That’s why I’m in many organizations and have been all over the country in the past two months.

This semester forced me to prioritize. I’ve been blessed to have been selected for multiple leadership positions in the coming year and stepping up in these roles means that I must remove myself from other things (in order to be fair to what I’m a part of, in order to do my job well, in order to maintain good grades and definitely to keep my head straight). During this process (that took at least 3 weeks to mentally process), I realized that I’m very involved. (Duh. I said that before.) I’ve met cool people, done awesome things, etc….And then I realized, that’s great Elizabeth. So has every other person out there. I’m not special. None of this matters in the grand scheme of things. What matters is the impact you make on people.

People know me because I’m involved. I have great relationships with people in the clubs and organizations I’m in because of our similar interests and what we do together. However, my most meaningful relationships at school and in life are with people who have had an impact on me or with people who I have impacted positively. That may seem like common sense, but have you really thought about that before? I wholeheartedly believe that you are not what people think of you, but you are what you do for others. And you can be well known, but that doesn’t mean much to a lot of people. Being a positive role model, encouraging someone, making a person genuinely smile, appreciating someone, and just lending a helping hand are ways to make a positive impact on someone’s life. It’s as easy as that.

As I go through my upcoming year as a Hokie Camp Counselor, Virginia Tech New Student Orientation Leader (both what I’ll be doing this summer in Blacksburg), SAA Executive Board Member, as Alpha Zeta Pledgemaster, I’m not going to think of the titles or the end result, or just give half the effort I should. But what I am going to focus on is making a positive impact on the lives of the people I work with and serve. I believe that’s what being a Hokie is about, and it’s how people need to think about life. If we were meant to just care about ourselves and not really do anything meaningful for others in life, then why did God create a world full of people who depend on one another?

Neither your résumé/job title nor your GPA will be spoken about at your funeral. What will be spoken about, however, is your character and if you made a positive impact on a person. Make sure people remember you for HOW you do things, not just WHAT you do. Tell your loved ones you appreciate them, encourage people and help them reach their potential, and your life will change, I absolutely guarantee it. And remember to focus on the now, not the future – unless you’re thinking about my funeral reference, then feel free to think about the future 🙂

Go and make an impact. I believe in you.