For the past 5 years, Millersville has been the place I have been able to truly say is my home. While I didn’t initially start college here, I think life overall has lead me in the right direction by putting me here and in Her Campus Millersville. Like for many others, college was a really scary thought and transferring colleges freshman year was an even scarier one. My biggest fear would be that I wouldn’t be able to make friends and I would never find where I fit. Looking back on what I know now, I can see that that was never going to be the case.
Coming back sophomore year after taking a semester off was when I truly found where I fit. I had found the rest of my puzzle that I belonged to. For being such a shy person, finding a group to fit into is a really hard task. Taking a whim and joining Her Campus Millersville was one of the best things I could ever do for myself in life, personally and professionally. It helped me find direction in my major as well as what I wanted out of a friend group: Acceptance, encouragement, and understanding. In all honesty, the best friends that I have made in Her Campus have been one of the best things to ever happen to me.
Her Campus has been a place that I could come to with my creativity, my worries and doubts, and a place I could turn to when I needed a friend. Every member of Her Campus Millersville for the past 5 semesters has undoubtedly made me the person that I am today. Here I am, graduating Saturday with a paid internship in a field I never thought I would be in and actually love, and with a group of friends who I all cherish dearly. I wouldn’t be doing any of that without what I’ve learned and taken with me from Her Campus.
While I am extremely excited (and a little nervous, not going to lie) about what life holds for me outside of college, I want to thank Her Campus Millersville for giving me the confidence that I have today knowing that I will be successful in whatever I do. Without their encouragement and #girlboss attitudes, I don’t think I would be as confident about life as I am know. There’s really nothing like having a group of overly sassy friends who do nothing but build you up!
As I sit here and write this, I’m struggling to find the right words to say to express how much Her Campus means to me. I have made the best friendships that I know will last forever. I have met girls from all walks of Earth who have the same fears, hobbies, obstacles, and values as me. I have made a home with these girls who I know will do great things in life all while being kind, caring, and smart individuals. Her Campus Millersville has been a second family to me. There is little about me that they don’t know and there is a lot about me that I have loved sharing and connecting with them all about.
I don’t think I will ever be able to truly find the right words to express my gratitude to Her Campus Millersville but I do hope they all know how much they mean to me. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, they have all stuck with me and continued to believe in me as I do them. I’m sure some of them are making fun of me (jokingly) because I’m so sappy about leaving them but undoubtedly without Her Campus Millersville I wouldn’t be who I am today.
So thank you to all of you who have accepted me, encouraged me, and helped me be the best I can be throughout my 5 semesters in Her Campus Millersville. Thank you for all the laughs, the memories, the bonding experiences, and love you have all shown me when I needed you all the most. I know that whatever you all do in life you will be extraordinary in. Each and everyone of you have brought something special to my life and for that I am forever grateful.
This isn’t a forever goodbye, it’s just a see you at brunch every weekend where you all have to tell me everything that’s been going on!
HCXO, Ashley