Few times in life are as stressful as college app season, Seniors scramble to somehow cobble together their mess of activities, grades, test scores, and teacher recommendations into a cohesive picture of their entire life.

After ignoring my parents’ warnings about getting started early and spending at least a week of cumulative time procrastinating, I finally sat down to fill out the Common App. What greeted me there terrified me.

There were Transcripts to be sent, Tests to be taken, letters of recommendation to be requested, counselors to be contacted, and essays … so many essays…

There was a day when I planned on working on that essay, and the library computers were completely filled. In my quest for a computer, I ended up walking into a room at Liberty that I’d never been in before: The College and Career Center.

It was by pure coincidence that I walked in on an essay workshop, and I watched as students there shifted from my position — overwhelmed and exhausted — to confident and reassured in their abilities.

I signed up for the next workshop, and took my ragged excuse for an essay in the following week. Within 10 minutes, I had the confidence to scrap it and write an essay that was absolutely out of reach for me before I had talked to Mrs. Auffant and the rest of the folks volunteering their time.

In my visits to the College and Career Center, my despair has turned into confidence, and it has provided me with just enough fortitude to tackle the rest of this stressful time in my life. For that, I am thankful.