Blog

By Panny, East Carolina University

In college there are many times where I feel like I am often alone and have no one to turn to, especially during the moments where I feel lost and clueless about the direction of my life.

Although I have past experiences that I want to forget, I am also thankful for them. My past has led me to so many individuals and life changing events I never thought would have happened.

Once or twice every semester I am reminded that there is someone out there who does actually care and wants me to succeed in everything that I do. Many times I feel like I don’t have a family, but receiving care packages from individuals who take time out of their busy lives to prepare and send this package to me means more than I can ever say or express. Opening a box and being greeted by a simple letter or card with kind and uplifting words always puts a smile on my face and reminds me that I have a different kind of family—a family that is looking out for me from afar.

All items in the packages that I receive are used and shared with my roommates, which also ends up putting a smile on their faces.

The combination of care packages, support and advising from my coordinators and FC2S has changed my outlook on life. With all the encouraging words and help throughout the years, it has changed and encouraged me to get out there and become more involved with student organizations along with my community.

Knowing now that I am never alone and will always have a family in anything that I do helps me succeed in school and work on becoming someone more than I am today. I am truly thankful for everything that has happened because each experience has made me who I am today.

“The family is both the fundamental unit of society as well as the root of culture. It … is a perpetual source of encouragement, advocacy, assurance, and emotional refueling that empowers a child to venture with confidence into the greater world and to become all that he can be.”-Marianne E. Neifert, Dr. Mom’s Parenting Guide