We have all reached for our phones, iPads, laptops, or any other device with internet access and asked Google to define a word. The results were numerous. Definitions ranged from
exact wording as the previous website to definitions that would suit another word, even to the point of being incomprehensible. The difficulty of defining a word from the handfuls of results is as difficult as going against the crowd and defining yourself.

The truth is I have followed a crowd too many. The crowds included: the tie-dye wearing
hippies, tomboy athletics, the oh so "popular" peeps, the fashionista trend followers, and the
artsy kids that somehow could not keep paint off of their clothes. Who I followed was as
random as clicking on the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on Google.

As high school ended and my first year of college began, there was only one crowd left to
follow. So I did. I was sporting the "Oh My Gosh I'm In College" face, what upperclassmen would call the "Definitely a Freshman" look. This meant waking up an hour and a half before class to figure out the perfect outfit, curl or straighten my hair, and put on makeup. Let me tell you an important secret though: I do not recommend this. Sleep is valuable. (Look it up on Google.)

As the first semester went by, Google began to narrow down my options to two categories: Barrett and ASU. This was new to me because the last 19 years I had constantly gone from one group to the next without thinking too much of it. I was more concentrated on trying to fit into the crowd, rather than trying to stand out from the crowd.

One day, after typing 'college' into the search box and clicking search in Google, a five
word title caught my attention: College, Define Who You Are. Automatically, my thoughts went
straight to the opinions students and graduates have told me, or I have read about in the life of a regular ASU student and an ASU Barrett student. ASU says, "Party on, drink up, wear skimpy
clothing, and join Greek life —it only costs $800 to be in the brotherhood or sisterhood." While Barrett, the Honors College, says, "Study on or abroad, stay H2O hydrated, wear business casual, and join BHC Student Council —it only meets every day."

ASU and Barrett were the refined search results Google narrowed down for me, yet I clearly forgot to check off 'Define Me' while searching. Instead I got: Me, who attends ASU;
Myself, who also attends Barrett; and I, a mix of the two. Clearly I needed to switch search engines!

I am now 20 years old, a sophomore in college, and have learned what search engine to follow. Mine. I come up with one result to every question: I am reliable, I am trusted by many, and I do not require Wi-Fi. The only set back is I am not pocket-sized.

So why am I telling you this? Simply because it is a life lesson one should know and share, especially if you know someone over the age of 40 wearing their kid's miniskirts or
attempting to utilize lingo that died over 20 years ago. I know that at some point in our
lives we try to fit in to a crowd because we do not know who we are yet, and this is actually okay. In a search engine, we always end up with many results, but we need to know how to refine them to get to the best answer. Yes, it is okay to try and fit in at times, yet at
some point in our lives we need to begin to refine ourselves.

So, as the years go by, try to consider this (uh oh, not another life lesson!): When you
want to define who you are, walk away from the crowd and refine your search —only then will you redefine yourself correctly.