It all started on my first day of kindergarten.

My mother insisted on walking me up to the bus stop to make sure that I got on the school bus okay. She even went so far as to take my picture in front of the bus when it arrived and as I climbed up the steps.

As the bus started to pull away and I caught a final glimpse of my mom waving to me from the sidewalk, I was faced with the task of finding somewhere to sit. All I remember was that everyone was so much bigger than me. They were all talking and laughing like they had been best friends forever.

I was nervous and excited all at once. Where would I sit? Would I know anyone? Would anyone talk to me?

I don’t remember where I sat on the bus on that first day of kindergarten, but I do know that I arrived safely and the subsequent bus trips were sufficiently less traumatic.

I had to ride the bus to high school, for the first two years at least until I got my driver’s license and my own car. So, of course, there are pictures in our family photo albums of me dressed in my green plaid kilt and white oxford shirt on my first day of high school. There are even pictures of me — still wearing that very fashionable Catholic school attire — posed in front of my car the first day that I drove myself to school.

There won’t be any pictures in our albums of me on the first day of my junior year here at Notre Dame, however. My mom wasn’t here yesterday morning to take a picture of me as I walked to class at DeBartolo.

Yesterday was still important to me even though it didn’t include the typical fanfare that had accompanied all of my other first days.

First days of school are significant at any age, whether or not your mom is there to take your picture. They are exciting, scary and a little nerve-wracking.

First days also give you the chance to reflect on the past and anticipate the future. It is the perfect time to establish some personal goals for the upcoming year. This has become more evident to me since I have come to college. No matter what happened last year, this is a whole new start. You can do whatever you want as long as you set your mind to it.

There are so many decisions to make and opportunities to take advantage of. What should I major in? What clubs and volunteer activities should I participate in? All of this might even seem overwhelming at times, but if we neglect to think about the future, we might miss something meaningful. So don’t be afraid of the future. Rather, take time during these first days to contemplate it.

Hopefully you will enjoy your first days here at Notre Dame or Saint Mary’s whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. Whatever happens, just remember that there are many more days ahead and anything is possible. Good luck and have a great year!

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.