Meet our Fall 17′ @UAlbanyMyStory Bloggers Pt. 4

Meet Kayla and Franshelis

My name is Kayla Kennedy and I am a transfer student. This is my second semester and
final year here at Albany. I am majoring in psychology and minoring in business. As a
volunteer, I have chosen to focus on the theme of: Let God take the Wheel. I am by no means a religious person, but, I recently turned 22 and am realizing that I have spent a great portion of my childhood, adolescent and early young adult years striving so hard to be a perfectionist that if I do not start to open my eyes, I will miss out on everything that can happen in my 20’s. My ultimate goal is to share my experiences and enlighten other students to: Let God take the Wheel.

My name is Franshelis Calderon. I am a senior, and a linguistics major, with a double minor in Italian and sociology. When I first arrived at the University at Albany, I had no idea who I was. I didn’t know what I wanted to study, and I was lost in the idea of who I was supposed to be rather than who I am. After my journey thus far, I can confidently say I am exactly where I need to be at this point in my life. I discovered a passion for learning and studying how language works and that this is what I want to establish my career in. I also realized a big part of myself I had been hiding, which is my sexuality.

Coming to this university, I felt the freedom I needed to begin to become the best version of myself. I want to use this platform to encourage new students to let themselves experience life and the challenges that it presents, even if you don’t want to. I was terrified to even contemplate the possibility that I wasn’t straight. If I hadn’t gone through all the growth I did, I would still be struggling to accept myself, and I know I wouldn’t be as successful as I am now. And don’t get me wrong, I still struggle, with my sexuality, and with a lot of other things. I haven’t reached nirvana, but I believe I’m well on my way there. And I wouldn’t be here had it not been for this university and the growth I went through once I arrived. I want my story to encourage my readers to embrace this phase of our lives, and not to fight the process, but to trust and believe in it.

Click here to check out Fran’s previous posts.

Find out more about Project MyStory Here!