See what our first Brilliant Futures scholarship winner, Laila Mufty, has to say about her freshman year at Gettysburg. Dear Brilliant Ink, People say that college is one of the best times of your life and after a year of researching that statement at Gettysburg College, I wholeheartedly agree. My first two weeks were incredibly difficult. As it turns out, Gettysburg is quite different from the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to adjusting to a new environment, I was also incredibly homesick. It was my first time leaving my family and taking a journey of this magnitude alone. However, after the first two weeks, my homesickness and culture shock slowly dissipated and I found myself in awe of all the opportunities before me. Although my first semester had a rocky start, I was determined to succeed both academically and socially. In my classes, I found engaged students and brilliant professors. My small classes enabled me to ask questions and get individualized help from my professors. I took four classes, which included ecology and evolution, Arabic, Cancer in Society (a biology, chemistry and history combined class), and music theory. My favorite class from first semester was Cancer in Society because it linked one common theme through many different subjects and challenged me to think critically about cancer statistics in different societies and demographics.  I also joined Surge, a social justice blog, as a staff writer. Surge was a great way for me to deal with the culture shock and allowed me to learn about a plethora of social justice issues that I was not previously aware of. In my second semester, I continued Arabic and ecology and evolution. I also took a psychology course and a Chinese culture and society course. The best part of a liberal arts education is that I am able to take so many diverse courses and explore different subjects. I was also hired as an administrative assistant in the football office and later applied and received a position as a program coordinator teaching ESL. My students are mostly low- income, migrant farm workers in Adams County. Their motivation and infectious enthusiasm makes every class a joy to teach and continues to inspire me to step out of my comfort zone. Thanks to Brilliant Ink, I did not need to take on two or three jobs like my peers in order to pay tuition. Instead, I was able to focus on my schoolwork and various extracurricular activities such as band, volunteer work and DJ-ing my own show on our local radio station, WBZT 91.1. This year I was able to try everything from kayaking to ballroom dancing and participate in color runs, dance performances and pottery classes. Thank you, Brilliant Ink, for providing me with the tools I need to succeed and for continuing to believe in me. Without your support, it is unlikely that I would have been able to step out of my comfort zone and try so many new things. I am excited to see what my sophomore year has in store for me and hope that it will be just as incredible as this year. Best regards, Laila Mufty