As you say goodbye to your parents, and maybe even siblings or significant others, and move in to a new life at Eastern, remember one thing: stay strong.

I am sure a lot of you were ready to leave the nest and be on your own, but shortly you will realize that you will miss home and the comfort of the people you love to be around to help.

But another thought may creep into your mind: Can I do it? Can I hack it in this field I have chosen for my future career? Should I change majors? Am I going to have a future at all?

You can do it.

My freshman year, fall through spring, I started on my path of being a sports journalist. In high school, I wanted to be a sports reporter, so I was ready to be a journalism major.

I was nervous for my first few men’s tennis stories that were published in The Daily Eastern News, and they were nothing near good, but I felt that I was learning, and I was still excited. The journalism class I was taking, which was about the basics of news writing, was fine. But then I got a C on one of my class stories.

Keep in mind, I am competitive and I am quick to learn, so when I screw up or lose or do bad, I get upset.

But that C turned my life upside down for a couple months. I wanted to change majors, start anew, forget that I had messed up. The fact that I did not live up to my own standards hurt me, and I was not happy with other aspects of my life either.

But, my girlfriend, my parents and my news writing professor assured me that I was doing a good job and that I had a future.

As you begin a new trek through Eastern, remember that you will have doubt but keep doing whatever it is you have planned to do. Talk to others who can help you and give you truthful feedback and advice. College is supposed to be a place to challenge you, so have a plan ready for when you have those doubts.

Dillan Schorfheide can be reached at 581-2812 or dtschorfheide@eiu.edu.