Alumni Diaries # 2: Nicole Ochoa
Written by Nicole Ochoa
Each semester at College for Social Innovation we receive the invaluable assistance of multiple Semester in the City program alumni who we call Ambassadors. In addition to their coursework these amazing individuals help us with recruitment efforts at their educational institutions, sharing their SITC experiences with classmates, and helping us find the next generation of problem-solvers for future semesters.
We recently reached out to our Spring 2021 Ambassadors asking them to help share their Semester in the City stories; our following blog post was written by Nicole Ochoa who was a part of our Fall 2020 Cohort and is a student at UMasss Dartmouth; check our her inspiring story below on how, through SITC, she was able to step outside her comfort zone!
Hello! My name is Nicole; I am a senior at UMass Dartmouth, and I was a part of the Fall 2020 Cohort. I was matched with Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, which is a non-profit organization based in Roxbury, that aims to help the community and empower its residents. Today, I am here to tell you why Semester in the City was a fantastic experience for me. One thing you’ll need to know about me is that I have anxiety. I was diagnosed with it in middle school, and I’ve had it ever since. Because of that, I have always hated change. Whether it’s starting a new school, a new job, or just meeting new people, I always overthink things and end up stressing out about it, even if I have nothing to worry about. So of course, when I started Semester in the City, I was incredibly stressed. This was a pretty big step out of my comfort zone, and I was terrified.
“To me, joining Semester in the City was like jumping off a cliff for the first time. I was simultaneously terrified, excited, and worried. But as soon as I hit the water, I wasn’t scared or worried. I was just excited.”
Stepping out of my comfort zone is something that I hate doing but I know I need to do in order to broaden my horizons. Looking back on it now, Semester in the City was the perfect way for me to do that. It was the perfect sized step out of my comfort zone. Not so big that I was completely lost and had no one to help me but not too small to feel like I accomplished nothing. I live about an hour outside of Boston, so while I don’t know the city like the back of my hand, I can maneuver my way around with the help of a map or a GPS. Because of that, I felt like Semester in the City had the perfect amount of familiarity and newness for me.
To me, stepping out of my comfort zone is like cliff jumping. When you’re standing at the top, and you realize how high it really is, you’re terrified. But you take that leap of faith and you jump, getting that rush of adrenaline as you fall before finally hitting the water with a splash. Some people can do it with ease, others can’t do it at all. If you’re like me, it gets easier and easier each time you do it. To me, joining Semester in the City was like jumping off a cliff for the first time. I was simultaneously terrified, excited, and worried. But as soon as I hit the water, I wasn’t scared or worried. I was just excited. Excited for all the new friends I made, new connections I have, and new opportunities that lie ahead.