We were walking to Andy’s to get frozen custard when I saw it. It was my first week as a cherub, and I had never seen one before.

It flashed in front of my eyes for a few seconds, and then it went out.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Um, a firefly,” my friends said, amused at my naivety.

Seeing fireflies was one of my many firsts during the Medill cherub program. I had also never been away from home for more than a week. It was my first time carrying an ATM card, eating frozen custard and living in a dorm. Being the spoiled California girl that I am, I had also never experienced mid-summer thunder and lightning storms.

Before I left home, I was terrified of experiencing all these firsts. I was worried I would be too homesick to function. I worried about losing my ATM card. I worried about having a rude roommate. I worried about getting lost in Evanston. I worried about being overwhelmed by our workload.

But after four weeks, as I thought about how I was going to pack everything in my dorm into one suitcase, I realized that I had made great friends, despite my fears. I didn’t get as homesick as I thought I would. I was able to handle the workload. I befriended a cherub who had a GPS on her phone. And I am able to brag that I have one of the sweetest roommates in the whole program.

These experiences that I once dreaded ended up changing me for the better. I am more independent, more prepared for college and a better writer. And I never would have had these firsts if I hadn’t taken a chance and come to the cherub program.

After four weeks, fireflies don’t faze me as much as they did. I’m used to them. And they’re just a part of my daily life.