Freshman Footprints: A Year of Growth and Discovery
My highs and lows from freshman year
By: Leilani Jose
Reflecting on my freshmen year, I would say that it was filled with significant growth and unforgettable experiences.
I learned and grew a lot as a person my first year here at NAU.
I branched out and joined the Council of Indigenous Ambassadors club and applied for the NAU Social Media team. Both contributed a ton to my growth.
Connecting with my roots
NAU Council of Indigenous Ambassadors
Joining the Council of Indigenous Ambassadors, I was able to connect with other students that came from similar cultural backgrounds as me.
We related on similar things that made me feel more comfortable and gave me reassurance knowing that I wasn’t alone. It also opened my eyes to other indigenous tribes and learning where they came from, their culture, and how it differentiated with mine, which I loved learning about.
I was also able to travel with the club and learn about different movements that impacted indigenous people, as well as connect back to my own cultural traditions along the way.
Joining the club showed me the importance of remembering where you come from, and the impact Indigenous students can create together.
And most importantly, I built amazing friendship that I will forever cherish.
🤳🏽 Exploring my passion for social media 📲
Applying to be on the NAU Social Media Team, has given me the opportunity to explore my career path. I am able to be part of a collaborative team creating a voice for the indigenous students on campus.
From working on the team, I have developed new skills and techniques that have significantly enhanced my abilities.
It has also made me more flexible and open minded to trying new things, going beyond my own abilities that I never knew I could do!
From this I was able to flourish into the person I am today!
But as much as I had highs, I also had lows 😓
One of my biggest challenges was finding a balance between schoolwork, social life, and personal health.
Because I was managing a lot at once, I had completely dismissed my own personal health.
I had overworked myself to the point where I felt so drained at the end of the week.
And because I was prioritizing one thing more than the other, I began to complete assignments at the very last second — which made me more tired and stressed.
Luckily, I noticed this right away and decided to make a change — which was finding a balance between all my priorities.
And remembering that I am a student before anything.
But the biggest challenge of all was getting over my homesickness.
There were times I missed my family and everything back home.
During these times, I relied on my support system within NCIA and the NAU social media team.
They helped me a lot when I missed home, and I am forever grateful for them.
Advice to my freshman self
- Knowing what I know now, my biggest advice is to take every opportunity offered to you.
Whether that be a club, internship, job, class, etc. I say do it!
Make the most of these moments.
2. Find your home away from home.
Find people that share the same values as you and will uplift you when you are struggling — those people are going to stick with you throughout your college experience and possibly a lifetime.
I know the connections I made this past year will forever be with me.
3. Find a balance between your schoolwork, social life, and personal health.
Sophomore year goals.
Entering my sophomore year, my goals are to continue to learn and grow as a student and an individual.
I want to try new things and do the things that scare me the most.
I want to take every experience as a learning lesson that I can carry with me for a lifetime.
But overall, I am most excited to make new memories this upcoming semester!
I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me!
— Leilani
