“You are just a normal college student,” my philosophy teacher once told me.

And, thinking back through all the hardships in my college life, it was true. I am just a normal college student. No matter how bad my hardships were and how hard they were to handle, they were just circumstances I could eventually overcome.

I came to the University with hopes of becoming a pediatrician, but then I decided to take the challenge of becoming a news program producer. I would make a lot of money as a pediatrician, but it was not my life-long dream. After I switched my major to journalism, I studied abroad in South Korea, where I am originally from. It was such a wonderful experience going to school while eating home-cooked foods and meeting up with old-time friends.

It is strange how we forget to recognize the small things in life and later on regret not noticing the true value of those things. I still miss how I used to wake up to the smell of home-cooked food and how my mom used to wake me up in the morning. To all college students: Enjoy the small things in life and make the best of what you have.

After I came back from South Korea, speaking and writing in English was one of the biggest challenges I faced as a journalism student. Sometimes I would be jealous of how my friends in Engineering could use numbers to communicate, while I needed to use proper English. I was that one freshman kid who would speak Korean all the time and who would only hang out with Korean friends.

But then I joined The Daily Illini. I thought working at the paper would boost my English skills and make me use English more often. I still remember how nervous I was after I looked around and realized that I was the only Korean student who had applied to be a reporter. I thought, “I’m totally not getting this job,” but I ended up getting hired.

Coming up with story ideas was a challenge, but trying to get along in the newsroom was a bigger one. I was just “too Korean” for the newsroom, and I would sometimes cry in the restroom from the little critiques I would receive from my editor. But my experience improved once people began recognizing me after I stayed in Champaign during the summer of 2011.

I can’t express how happy I was when people asked questions about me and would makes jokes with me. Back then, when I was awkward, my friend would ask why am I was trying so hard to succeed in journalism. Why not pursue a career path that does not make me cry, that makes me happy? Thinking back, the fact that I cried proves that I really did care. Those actions have made me recognize what I truly want.

Now, it has been two years since I joined The Daily Illini. I have covered stories about the environment, university administration, crime and housing, and more. People often say how tough working at a news publication is and how it is a rapidly changing environment, but I’ve had so much fun writing these stories.

If I didn’t join The Daily Illini, I wouldn’t have known the feeling of receiving a big ‘Thank you’ letter from the people affected from my stories. I wouldn’t have experienced crying while covering a story.

And would my English how it is today if I declared a different major? No one knows, but I can definitely tell that my English became so much after I joined The Daily Illini.

Besides The Daily Illini, I was still able to embrace my culture by being active in Korean Student Association. From freshman to senior year, I was still attached to Korean culture and worked with my fellow Korean friends to keep the community alive.

Americans and Koreans are so different in terms of culture, but the fact that everyone tries so hard to succeed is one strong commonality they share.

Here’s my advice to college students: never give up. Be patient and enjoy the thrill of getting close to your goal. I personally think that the idea of obtaining “success” is not as big as we may think.

Goals are great when they are big, but small goals tend to keep your drive going and help you to appreciate what you have accomplished. Success is not about money. It’s about doing what satisfies yourself, and doing great things for the people you care about.

I will be graduating in two weeks and I will never forget what I have learned at the University. I have no set of goals after graduation, but I know that it will be a time for me to hone my skills and make myself more marketable.

Through this column, I want to say many thanks to The Daily Illini for the stories I got to cover and for helping me improve English. I also want to thank the Korean Student Association for appreciating my identity as a Korean student and giving me the opportunity to contribute to the community. I also want to give a big shout out to our dance team, Mixed Motions, for the great memories and for winning first place at the KSA talent show.

I’d like to emphasize one last piece of advice to everyone: There is no need to have everything, but just make the best of what you have.

Carina is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].