warning: long sappy grad post ahead :) When I was 13 I attended a gymnastics camp at Cal. Afterwards, I immediately fell in love with the idea of becoming a student at UC Berkeley. I ended up retiring from gymnastics at 15 after 10 years, due to years of coaching styles that negatively impacted my mental health. High school me was defeated, lost, and had no confidence in herself. My mental health was the worst it had ever been and my dreams of going to a University were no longer there. I had no desire to apply to any schools and instead attended community college with no idea of what I wanted my future to look like. I didn’t perform well my first semester, however in my second semester at community college my college counselor told me something that no one’s ever told me before - “I believe in you” and “You are smart and capable of reaching your highest goals”. It all came down to how much I was willing to work. Those words from then on changed the entire view I had on myself. 🤍 After countless 12 hour study days with friends at my favorite hometown coffee shop (shoutout Suju’s) and three 19 unit semesters in a row, I had the most A’s I had ever received in my life!! I decided to apply to UC Berkeley in the Fall of 2019 and on April of 2020 I received my acceptance letter. And as of May 2022, I can officially say that I am UC Berkeley graduate. ☺️🐻🎓💛💙 #gobears