The Process of Becoming by Lamyaa Hegazy

UCU is a busy place. People on campus seem like they have everything figured out as they balance committee meetings, dance classes, cooking every day, and studying for their courses. Yet, in today’s world, where busyness is celebrated and taken as a marker of success, being busy doesn’t necessarily equate to having it all figured out. On the contrary, everyone is confused, and everyone has off days. It's okay not to have it all figured out, because growth is not linear and it’s an ongoing process. 

Before coming to university (or before a gap year), a routine had been mapped out for us and a set of expectations to adhere to. We would wake up, go to school, possibly attend after-school activities, then we might go to sports practice or to see friends, then come back home to spend time with family and to study and sleep. This routine would repeat itself over and over again. I’m not saying there was anything wrong with that routine, I am saying however,  that we were placed in this specific mold by the adults around us. Now that we have moved out and started our own journeys, we have more freedom and creative control over how we live our lives. With this freedom, things can get a bit messy… 

It's important to give ourselves grace and understand that messiness isn’t something to be afraid of. Messiness entails possibility, and it is proof that we are growing and experiencing new things. We’re meant to be works in progress and to be shaped and reshaped by our happy and sad moments, good and bad grades, friendships, relationships, heartbreaks, etc. 

Some people say that we are mosaics of everyone we have met and everyone we have ever loved. Whether it's an ex who influenced the way you see yourself, or a professor who inspired you to make a difference or even a late-night conversation with a unitmate. Even experiences leave us knowing a little more about ourselves than we knew previously. 

University years are full of these experiences: moving to a different country, sharing a space with people from all over the world, cooking for yourself, and doing laundry. The things we view as mundane or insignificant are what make up the texture of our lives, teaching us more than we realize in the moment. This mosaic grows richer with age and experience. We are still young, we are still exploring, we are still growing and ever-changing. 

Not having it figured out is not a flaw, but it's actually the point of being in your late teens and early twenties. While UCU is a busy place, at its core, it is marketed as a place where you can find yourself and pursue your many interests. And that is exactly what you should make of it during your time here. It is just the beginning of our beautiful and messy journeys.