Who will you become?

It is remarkable to think that it is already halfway through my fall semester of senior year. Time sure goes by quickly when you are having fun! As I begin interviewing and concluding many activities through this semester and school year, there is one underlying question that I ask myself.

Who am I becoming?

Change is a natural occurrence experienced by all. From interests, style, personality and future ambitions, people change. It can be subtle or significant. But, not all change is self-driven. Some is influenced. Much of that influence is from the people you spend your time with.

I have learned through different experiences that you become more like the people you spend most time around. That is why to cultivate the most personal growth, you should surround yourself around others smarter, more humble, more ambitious and more successful than yourself. They can teach you things, and you can learn.

Being a leader is not just learning, but also sharing and teaching your knowledge. Therefore, you should not just surround yourself with others greater than you, but others who you can help develop. This weekend, I was surrounded by many great people.

On Saturday, Psi chapter of Alpha Xi Delta held our Dad's Weekend event. Our dad's joined us for dinner and to watch the OSV vs. Northwestern football game! It was quite enjoyable, even though the venue was almost too small for all of us. My dad came down for the evening after working cattle all afternoon. Sometimes, I don't appreciate his expertise and passion as much as I should. But when I spend more time talking with him about it, I see where I got my interests from. It was also fun for him and the other dads to mingle and the sisters to be sincerely excited at the gathering.

Today, I spent many hours with this group of aspiring young women once more during our sorority retreat. We participated in a "Survivor" competition at Camp Lazarus in Delaware, Ohio. Even though my team did not do well in the individual competitions, we had fun in these competitive, sisterhood activities! Some of these sisters I do not get to see often. When we unite, we learn much together and continue to grow as an organization. But, there is more ahead.

We never know who we will become until we surround ourselves with others who challenge, compliment, and complete us. How are you finding and shaping yourself?