By Akiva Rooks

Celibacy is often deemed a foreign language in college. That word just never seems to fit the portrait that college frames. For most students, this is the perfect place to discover ones sexuality; especially if you haven’t already done so before this point.

But it is this very stigma that drowns out the idea of the existence of celibacy in college today. Just as much as sex is pushed, it is equally restrained by people who desires surpass solely sexual pleasures. While this notion may appear faint and arduous, it is something that has grown more prone.

Sophmore Jeilyn Baker explains her experience stating, “When I first began my journey, it started off as a New Year’s Resolution with my roommate. She proposed that we sustained from sex until our birthdays in March. Even with little faith that my roommate would follow through, I agreed to it. Something embedded in me new that everything that I desired to become, aligned with the discipline that celibacy would teach me. But I got so much more out of it. I learned more about myself than I had initially planned. I stayed celibate from the middle of December up until the end of March, while my roommate cracked the same month we had made the arrangement. It was hard, but definitely worth it.”

But what motivates people to endure celibacy at this point in their life?

Practicing celibacy is grounded in a vast amount of reasons. Junior Ericka Marsh says “I chose to be celibate for religious purposes. I’m aware that every time you are intimate with someone, you exchange spirits with that person. I hated the fact that I felt like every time that I had sex, I was acquiring damaged parts of someone. So I just decided to wait until I was one hundred percent sure about who I would give myself to. I wanted the ok from God.”

While sophomore Breyonna Pikiney says, “Everyone wants to have sex in college. It’s almost the perfect time to explore who you are sexually. This was my mindset when I came to school. But I got tired of getting caught in situationships. I would have sex with someone, things would be great for a while, and then we would end. No relationship was ever formed. So until I get a boyfriend, I am staying celibate.”

Among these reasoning’s to sustain from sex are health risks, and pregnancy prevention.

But you still have to remember, it is college and temptation is everywhere. So how do you face this temptation without breaking your bond?

Personally, I’ve found that focusing on yourself atones for this urge. When you are really in tune with other parts of your life, sex doesn’t seem as big as a priority as it once was before. Working a part-time job with full time hours, going to school full-time, and having an internship

definitely consumes all of my time. The idle time that I once had for sex to flourish, has diminished. And even if sex had the opportunity to rent space in my head, I couldn’t entertain it even if I wanted to. I’m simply too tired or too busy. In the midst of this, I’ve built up a tolerance to sustain from it.

Essentially celibacy can thrive even in its rarest environments. Just as much as college holds the stigma for sexual activity, it equally stimulates the discipline of sexual inactivity. Celibacy in college can coexist. Just as author and life Coach Rob hill emphasizes, “Temptation is only strong when your focus is off.”