Mia C.

Photography by Julia Nichols

If you're reading this, here is your reminder that everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes it is easy for us to assume that the grass is greener on the other side. It is easy to blame ourselves for making a “wrong decision.” It is easy for us to take responsibility for catastrophic events, even if there is no responsibility for us to claim. It is easy for us to think we are at fault for something that doesn’t go our way.

Last month, a friend of mine told me that I was a very “positive” person. Knowing my history of mental struggles, these words were eye-opening. Here’s why:

In high school, I was a competitive distance runner. What first started out as an after-school activity quickly became my entire life. I shut out many friends and opportunities because of my obsession with running. I was consumed by the idea that the best athletes do whatever it takes to become the best. I ended up in a downward spiral. Stress and anxiety tore away at my once bubbly character. I fractured bones in my legs five times over the course of those four years. Yet, my sights were still set on competing at the Division 1 level.

Fast forward, I do not compete competitively anymore. Being accepted to Northwestern made me reassess my priorities. My body and mental health had already deteriorated, and at that rate my physicians and psychologists advised that I cut it back on competing. I decided to pull my commitment at an institution in my home state and come to NU instead. 

I regretted this decision at first. So much so that I started a transfer application my first fall at Northwestern. Not one day went by without a call home, begging for my family to pull me out of school. I had felt like I had made the biggest mistake of my life — that I would have been better off anywhere else. I felt beyond out of place, lost without my sport, and incompetent in my classes. Every day my mom would reassure me that “everything happens for a reason,” and over time I have realized that she was right.

I would be lying if I said it has been an easy journey, but if it had not been this difficult I would not have grown to be the person I am today. I have met some of my best friends at Northwestern, and I have been able to rekindle my relationship with running. Every day is a work in progress, and through every setback, I have to put forth effort to remind myself that everything happens for a reason. I am here to tell you that it is okay to think that something is your fault or that you have made a mistake; but trust me, it is part of the process. It is okay to be upset and frustrated, but you are not worthless. Life will take you where you are meant to be, and I promise you will find the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. 

If you are reading this, here is your reminder that everything happens for a reason.

Mia C., Northwestern University

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