At some point in high school, one of my friends called me a “bad luck magnet,” and it stuck – among my family, at school, my friends. Everyone knew that wherever I went, bad luck seemed to follow. And I may just be frustrated and overwhelmed with everything going on at the moment, but I think that misfortune followed me to college.

I (edit: partially) write this blog post stuck in my building’s elevator for 30 minutes now, late to my first Panhellenic meeting that cannot start without my presence. I have no service in the elevator to be able to contact anyone. Yes, I am panicking about being trapped in an elevator, but I’m more concerned about a room full of 50 women waiting on someone to fill my seat and with no heads up or contact, the whole ordeal will reflect poorly on me.

And I constantly find myself in unfortunate circumstances that are beyond my control. Mid-presentation last week, my kitten had crawled into the ventilation system, and as I’m discussing Islamophobia and Genocide, I hear a soft meow coming from my ceiling. My computer stops working minutes before an important deadline. A situation with my roommate and police keeps me locked out of my apartment in the middle of the night. And even more outrageous: I’ve had friends accuse me of causing the football team’s terrible performance this season. Me. A girl who barely understands football to begin with.

The list goes on but in each of these instances, I’ve gradually worked towards mastering the skill of damage control. For my Panhellenic meeting, I ended up using the other girl’s WIFI access to find a quick replacement. For my presentation, I walked around my house with Zoom on my laptop presenting as I searched for a screwdriver to get her out. I practically sprint to reach a nearby computer to upload my assignment and may send (another) apologetic email about my late submission. For a lot of situations, I always have a mental contingency plan and have learned to prepare for nearly anything. Preparing financially has also been part of dampening the aftermath of a lot of my misfortune. All of these situations have allowed me to think proactively about dealing with my bad luck, dealing with anxiety in these situations, and work under pressure to take care of the damage.

It’s hard to explain to people time and time again or come up with a plausible reason when it feels like a “Boy Cried Wolf” lack of trust in me when things come up last minute, but I am trying to look at the positive side.

Also, I’m not still trapped in the elevator. I hope this is clear.