First Semester: Check

My first semester at New York University concluded in December of 2015, and now, the second semester begins. I know I haven't written in a while so I thought as my first post of the year, it would be valuable to look back.

I learned a lot my first semester. Not just what I got from books or my professors in lecture halls, but about the city, people, myself and how to live on my own. From what I've seen, absorbing the new places and people around me, I think the biggest lesson I've learned is that the only person responsible for your fate is you. You are the only person who can propel yourself to go up or keep you down. No one is going to hold your hand.

As I move ahead in my educational career, and my career as a writer, journalist, comedian, and performer, I think this is a very important lesson to learn. Any barrier you see in your way and any limitation is simply one that you create for yourself. Looking at my peers in school, and many people who have not become as successful as they wanted to be, I think the mistake lies in people expecting that the world owes them something, and will give them something in return for their hard work. As if a comedy writer works hard at his/her job for 10 years, and then BAM! Just expects that they should magically get a deal to star in their own show. Wrong. People who are truly successful work hard, continue to work even harder, and push themselves past what they thought they could do. When you look at a person who is actually really successful, they will know that they are where they are because of their own dedication; not because they got lucky or the world gave them anything.

I am blown away every day by how beautiful, exciting and vibrant this city is and how much that there is to learn and experience. And I know going forward that the only one that can determine whether I just cruise by these next four years or actually make the most of each and every day is me. There are endless interesting classes I could take, so many places to explore in the city and so many places to meet. But I have to make it happen.

Life is precious, and my constant fear is that it's going to pass me by without me even realizing it. But this fear forces me to make the most of every moment, to realize how lucky I am to go my dream school and live in this crazy city of dreams. It's called the city of dreams, but that's all they are: dreams; until you do something to make them come true.

But looking at my academic and career success within the last semester, I know I am in the right place and doing the right thing. No matter whether I choose to move left or right, the only place I have to go is up.