Hello from Oregon! I am so excited to be blogging this week. I am Hailee Barnes and go to Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. I am currently a sophomore and going through the sophomore crazy time of trying to figure out what exactly I want to study and do as a college student. College is a tricky time in our lives where we are in a transition from living with parents to having a career and life of our own. I feel as though I was in a daze and shock last year with all these new opportunities, responsibilities, and being away from home for the first time. My friends laugh at all my attempts at making "life plans" as there have been about four of these just since September of this year; I have lost count from last year. I try to trust that things will all work out, but this often gives me the chills, some may say that I am a control freak.

My campus can be quite conducive to making one feel very disconnected from the world and get caught up in the life of classes, papers, tests, sports, clubs, and parties. NNPCW so far has been my "get away." I thoroughly enjoyed attending the leadership event this summer. I had no idea what to expect. I shied away from the Christian groups on my campus due to contrasts in focus and activity and did not know what NNPCW would be like. To my great findings NNPCW was just what I was looking for, a group of college women who support each other and are joined together by their belief in Jesus Christ. I have learned so much already from my fellow NNPCW members and CoCo members. At the leadership event it was suggested to me to apply for CoCo [NNPCW's Coordinating Committee] and even though I did not have a clear idea what CoCo was I did and attended my first CoCo meeting in September. I am so excited to work with these amazing women and learn more about them and from them. I am excited to plan this year’s leadership event with other NNPCW members.

In this time of confusion and frustration I have been so thankful that I was directed to NNPCW. I often feel as though every decision I make is so important and stress over it for a long time. I am learning slowly to take a deep breath and remember that I am not alone in this journey of life and that if I focus on the small catches that I will miss the big picture. I have turned towards support from women going through this time and those who have already been here and am learning so much. As Noelle blogged about untold stories I am learning through my experiences what my mom, aunts, grandmother, and other older women must have gone through and how much they must have to teach me. One of my goals for the year is to ask women in my life their story, why they believe what they do, how they have come to that, and what experiences they have to share with me. Until next time, take care.

Hailee Barnes
Lewis and Clark College
NNPCW Coordinating Committee