Finding Comfort in Discomfort: Why you should say “yes,” especially when it scares you
Moving away from home, at any age, takes a big adjustment and is the first terrifying step forward in your career and into adulthood. I grew up in a close-knit Mexican-American family and neighborhood as a first-generation college student. Needless to say, I was very close to my family and didn’t have a clear idea of what “going to college” would mean for me. If you would have told me that I would move across the country from the bustling city of Houston, TX to the cozy nature of Ithaca, NY to attend Cornell University, well, I would not have believed you.
Why wouldn’t I have believed it? Because a drastic change like that one frightened me, especially when I had grown up as the ‘majority’ in my neighborhood where everybody spoke Spanish as their first language and had faced similar adversity. I knew I was smart and that I wanted to attend college but, like several first-generation students, I didn't know how to do it or where to go. I felt safe, comfortable and empowered in my community so I couldn’t imagine leaving my community to go someplace where I knew I would be an outlier. The finances scared me, being a minority in ethnicity and socioeconomic class scared me, having to make new friends alone scared me. Yet, I had great ambition and I reflected on what it was that I wanted from my college experience; I decided that I needed a challenge.
One of my life mottos is this: always try to find comfort in discomfort. In other words, learn to embrace the things that scare you, for in those moments you will find strength and growth. Saying ‘Yes’ to Cornell’s acceptance, even though I trembled the entire way there, has shaped my life in an infinite amount of ways. The culture shock and the feeling of being alone quickly shaped themselves into opportunities of learning and discovering brand new information, places and people I would have never met had I not said ‘yes’ to discomfort. I’ve been able to fulfill all of my greatest desires like studying abroad in Spain, being blessed with the best of friends, joining so many great organizations and even putting myself out there into officer positions that have taught me skills that will last a lifetime and greatly benefit my career and personal character development. That is the meaning of life – to become a better version of yourself every single day.
So, I encourage you to find comfort in discomfort and say yes to the things that scare you, for you never know what journey may lie ahead. Good luck on your journey!
If you have any questions about moving away for college, please email ccri@cornell.edu and you will get a response from someone about their experience and additional answers to your questions!