I can’t believe I am actually writing this, but I am graduating from college in two weeks! My undergraduate experience has been a bit of a rollercoaster with a big interruption from the pandemic. Despite the craziness, I have never felt more grateful for my education than I do right now. Every time I start to feel stressed about all the loose ends to tie up before closing this chapter of my life, I am flooded with appreciation. I am appreciative of my parents for their support and encouragement. I am appreciative of my friends, at UMass and elsewhere, for the endless laughs and memories. I am appreciative of UMass for the education it provided me. UMass has been my home away from home for the past four years and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
I am writing this article as a goodbye to my undergraduate experience. The feelings of nostalgia are already settling in. This month has been full of “lasts” and I am not sure I am ready to say farewell just yet. I will miss dancing in the rec center with my girls on the UMass Dance Club, doing work in the ILC and library, and of course the food (we are #1 dining after all). The list of things I will miss here at UMass could go on forever, but mostly I will miss the atmosphere. There is an energy on campus that I have yet to find a perfect match. Being surrounded by curious minds and thousands of people who are my age is a community feeling you never really get to experience again after undergrad. For the first time ever since preschool, there is no more rigid routine and schedule to follow. From here on out, I am fully in charge of my next steps. With that being said, this new stage in my life will be an opportunity to find my place and grow outside of the walls of my college campus.
I am excited to write that I have accepted a job at Massachusetts General Hospital after graduation as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Cancer Center. This opportunity would have never been possible without the encouragement of my professors, as well as the challenging coursework that has prepared me for this position. With a new home base on the horizon and new goals to reach, I lastly thank Her Campus for giving me a platform to share my thoughts and ideas. This experience has left me with dozens of writings I hope to look back and reflect on as I embrace my new and soon-to-be normal after graduation. I have never felt so proud to be a part of a team of such inspiring women who ignite my creativity and motivate me to be a leader.
I am trusting the magic of new beginnings because as scary as change may be, so is staying the same. Thank you to UMass Amherst and my amazing support system — I am a graduate!
With love and gratitude, Abbey LeClair.
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