Everyone must be familiar with Dory's three worded mantra, "Just keep swimming."

Seventeen years ago, I, like most kids, walked out of the film for the first time singing those infamous words. They brought joy to our hearts as any Disney animated film does. We go see a Disney film to remind ourselves that we all are united by our emotions. Disney animated films comfort us in times of distress and remind us to continue our day with hope in our hearts. As a kid, I related most to Nemo and his desire to explore the world of the unknown. As a college student who is about to graduate, I now relate most to his father Marlin and his fear of the unknown.

Finding Nemo focuses on Marlin's journey as he travels across the ocean to search for his lost son Nemo. Because of the traumatic loss of his wife and children, he lives cautiously and tries to control the world around him, including his son. After losing Nemo, Marlin is forced to step into a world of unknowns and learn to trust others for guidance and support on his journey. Marlin meets a bubbly blue fish named Dory who suffers from short-term memory loss but provides an optimistic perspective for the wary pessimist. The dynamic duo experience a series of adventures that include a shark attack, guidance from sea turtles on the East Australian Current, and being swallowed by a whale. Marlin experiences doubt during his journey and hopelessly concludes that he will never find his son. However, Dory encourages him to continue on his journey and let go of his fear with her infamous melody. Marlin eventually learns to trust Dory which leads him to find Nemo and return home to share the stories of his incredible adventure and the lessons he had learned.

Marlin often experienced times of hopeless despair when facing rough encounters. We all share an understanding of what it feels like to be exhausted and desire to give up in times of adversity. Like Marlin, I forget to find joy in the small things in life due to my fears. I am proud of my academic achievements and contributions to my campus and community. I have embraced people defining me by my accomplishments as they approach me for numerous tasks that I could never refuse. Eventually, I found myself facing difficulties as I attempted to balance all of the roles I had accepted. Despite my best efforts to continue, challenges became overwhelming and my fear of disappointing others consumed my thoughts. I neglected help from my peers and encouraged myself with the impossible task to "Just keep swimming," without truly understanding its meaning.

Goals are incredibly important to motivate our actions and choices. The mantra, "Just keep swimming," reminds us to trust when times are rough, keep moving toward our goal, and persevere no matter what pace. At the time, I believed that seeking others' help was a claim of defeat and belittling my value. I had convinced myself that if I was not capable of accomplishing tasks on my own, I would have difficulty succeeding after graduation. After several mistakes, I turned to my peers for help and was welcomed with their unconditional support, like Dory was there for Marlin.

To me, "just keep swimming" means to welcome challenges in times of adversity with an open mind and a little optimism. I will continue to strive to accomplish goals, but the adventure is in the lessons learned while journeying to the destination. Finding Nemo teaches us that bad stuff happens in life. Instead of living life cautiously, I encourage myself to embrace uncertainty and become curious. With this lesson, I plan to take risks after graduation and discover the beautiful future ahead of me.