‘Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are, for what you could become’ (Reinhold Niebuhr). If a butterfly stayed in its cocoon, it wouldn’t grow and become a beautiful butterfly.

I’ve always remembered that speech being given to me in the last moments of secondary school. Of course, as a young 17 year old, completing the unchanging routine the past 13 years of school brought me: wake up at 06:30, eat breakfast, get ready for school, go to school, come home, do homework, repeat. I was petrified. It was my turn to grow, to change that routine. What was I supposed to do with my life now? Do I go to university? What will I study? But what if I don’t like it? And so on.

I had lived in an overseas country from the one I was born in, for the past 14 years, and thought to myself, am I brave enough to leave this place, the only place I know, and start somewhere fresh?

One day, a good friend of mine told me to ‘never be paralysed by the fear of failure’. Which got me thinking – if I sit at home and constantly question myself and the future, I will never get anything done. I will never get out there and experience the world. So, I got pen to paper, assessed my options, and started applying to universities in England.

Many applications, phone calls, emails, and queries later… you know what I did next? I packed my suitcases, hopped on a plane, endured a 12-hour flight to England, and began my new chapter. I was still petrified.

I chose to do a combined degree of media and communications with psychology, as both areas are relevant in every aspect of our lives, and as teenagers in this generation, we rely greatly on social media. Not only has the study of psychology allowed me to develop my knowledge of the world around me and what I perceive, but I am lucky to have accomplished this first-hand by experiencing an abstract, new environment than I was used to. So far, my first year of university has mainly been about growth and experience and I can only look forward with excitement for what the next two years have to offer me.

Not only is it the beautiful creature butterflies develop into, but it’s the change and growth they go through to get there. That's what makes us beautiful too. I wouldn’t change my experiences of university for the world. I find myself growing as a person every day, and this wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for higher education.