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There have been many struggles in my life that I haven't understood. For example the bad group of friends in my first college, they caused many problems for me and caused a lot of pain. There were months where I was upset and confused about what I was going to do with my education and how to create better friendships. Since coming here my life has changed significantly for the better and that wouldn't have happened if I stayed at my past school and if I didn't experience the past year of self discovery that I have had.

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A belief that I have come to truly believe in is everything happens for a reason. I don't have a specific belief system that I follow but this motto has helped me a lot in the past year of uncertainty and decisions (transferring schools, moving and losing friends). This belief has helped me have a positive attitude when in the past I have been pessimistic.

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Being so far away from my family now has been an opportunity for me to grow up like I haven't before. I feel like leaving NJ and moving away has given my parents have a new found respect for me because of my independence. My family kept me in a bubble and didn't allow me to really discover much about myself but distancing myself slightly has given me a chance to grow.

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I got hired her as a hair stylist receptionist. This was a new experience for me that helped me gain confidence and take on more of a leader role. This job has such positive vibes and honestly makes me more energetic and makes the job must more enjoyable.

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I got this job at 16 and continued working until moving here in September. This small town store was a great first job for me and helped me save money and eventually buy my first car completely by myself (which was a great accomplishment for me).

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Being so far away from home and my family has made me grow as a person and find myself. I have always been about 30 minutes away from home never further but now I can make my own decisions and be a real adult for the first time in my life.

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I ended up doing a random roommate generating this year which changed my life. She became my best friend very quickly and it felt wonderful getting a roommate I got along with so well. At the beginning of December we got together into a relationship. This relationship makes me feel more comfortable being out and makes a new level of acceptance within my family and myself.

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My life changed in so many amazing ways since moving here. I met my best friends, got into a relationship, started a new job and overall got outside of my comfort zone.

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I went to a different college (Montclair State University) for the first semester of last year. This place was not the school for me and I met people that weren't good for me on an emotional level. This lead me to transferring to Lesley this school year.

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I came out as pansexual my junior year of high school after years of confusion in my sexuality. Telling my friends and my parents was a major milestone in my life. Coming to school and meeting such supportive people helped me so much on this journey.

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I grew up in New Jersey and my parents still live there while I'm at school. Despite the opinion of the general public(influenced by stereotypes) I do truly love it there and think it is a very nice place to live.

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A lot of my life is my job. I am always working and feel like it keeps me organized and focused day to day. I worked at my high school job for 3 years now have a new job at school which I love.