As we step into a new semester, there’s a familiar mix of energy on campus. Many of us have been here before — eager to move back out of our parents house, see our much-missed friends and return to the habits and routines of campus life. After spending last semester abroad in Scotland, I’ve found myself returning with an even higher level of anticipation than previous semesters with the looming date of my graduation in May.

Studying abroad slowed me down in ways I didn’t expect. Life in the UK often took on a slower pace, and since I didn’t have a work visa, I found myself filling my time by wandering around campus, planning my next weekend trip or junk journaling in my bedroom tucked away in what I called my “castle turret.”

My time there enlightened me in many ways. I spent months learning how to live with my uncertainty and without my familiar routine and cultural expectations. I learned how to be OK with not knowing which direction my path would take and how to trust that curiosity would guide me forward.

I have always been a very anxious individual. I imagine I came out of the womb and started to worry about the car drive home from the hospital. But this past semester challenged me in that regard. Life in your 20s is about embracing the chaos of it all and trusting that everything will work out (despite the fact that you just made 10 wrong decisions all in a row).

By pushing through the challenges presented to me during my time abroad, I finally feel that I have come into my own as an adult. While I will likely look back in 10 years and laugh at myself for saying that, at this moment I feel that it is true. Freshman year Emily would glance at the workload of my upcoming semester and start anxiously rocking back and forth. Do I have a million unanswered questions? Yes. Do I have any idea how I am going to balance all of my different involvements? No.

But amid the chaos of it all, I have found myself returning to the mindset that got me through my semester abroad: one that lets me take a step back and a deep breath through uncertain or scary moments.

In the newsroom, everything moves at such a fast pace. Deadlines come and go, information is constantly tossed around and last minute edits make life a little stressful. I think this semester is asking me (and maybe you too) to stay grounded in myself, even as everything around me is changing.

I’m so grateful to be back with this incredibly talented and hardworking staff, many of whom are new faces bringing fresh ideas and energy. This issue is a welcome back embrace to our UT community and it’s particularly special to me as the beginning of the end. As we dive into spring, I hope this newspaper continues to be a place where students feel seen, heard and valued. Whatever position that you are facing this semester from, just know that others are on this journey of uncertainty with you.

Here’s to pushing through it and coming out on the other side!