Hello, my name is Celeste Ramirez and I am a junior journalism major and sports media minor at the University of Texas at Austin. Aside from writing for Stella & Violette, I enjoy writing satire for the Texas Travesty and desperately trying to infiltrate the sports world with my YouTube channel!

College has been an interesting experience for me, but it has challenged me to grow in ways that I never expected. My freshman year it just felt like no matter what I did, everyone else was way better than me. It was important for me to realize that I was not alone with those feelings. 

The funny thing is sophomore year was so much better. I joined new organizations, made new friends and really felt like I had my life together. Then of course the coronavirus hit. I remember the last outing I attended before spring break so vividly. My friend was having a “I survived Y2K among other things” themed birthday party and we were laughing about how that would be the last time we would get together. Well, it actually was. We’re all fine but just don’t live remotely close to each other anymore and are unfortunately living in a pandemic. 

I really miss the old college life, but for some reason I have a much better idea of what I want for myself now than I did before the pandemic started. I don’t need to feel rushed to have everything figured out and I can have fun while working towards my goals. The biggest lessons I’ve learned over these past few months is that nothing should be taken for granted and I can’t depend on a plan. I’m grateful to be in a positive environment and mental space, but I also sympathize for those who aren’t. 

I recently turned 21 and my main goal moving forward is to stress less and enjoy my twenties while I still can.  I also hope to document some of that journey on this blog!