Photo by Vasily Koloda on Unsplash
It’s finally here. The last week of college. Forever.
The words roll easily off my tongue, much easier said than done.
Four and a half years ago, I was young and naïve, unsure of what was ahead of me. I never thought we would make it here. I could never imagine what it’d be like to graduate. But my cap and gown are now hanging in my closet, my family has made plans, and I’ve been confirmed to graduate.
Three semesters in to my college career, I transferred out of state to the University of Oklahoma. I changed my major more times than I could count. I joined a sorority. I dropped out of my sorority. I worked hard. Much harder than I thought I would. I finally found a major I loved.
Now, we are mere days away from walking across the stage and shaking our dean’s hand before being sent into the real world.
What an adventure the last four and a half years have been. Football games. Internships. Roommates. Long hours at the Bizz. Studying. Papers.
It’s been a bittersweet experience and my days are now limited here at the University of Oklahoma before I go home and start my new job just three days after the graduation celebration.
I couldn’t have had a better experience at the University of Oklahoma. I couldn’t have met any better people. I couldn’t do anything different. I don’t regret the choices I made or the experiences I had. OU has shaped me and I’ve grown to develop my own opinions and my own moral compass.
To my parents, my friends, my professors, and my bosses, I continuously thank you for your dedication, your time, and your effort to instill the confidence and abilities within me.
Rory Gilmore said it best. “We never thought this day would come. We prayed for its quick delivery, crossed off days on our calendars, counted hours, minutes, and seconds and now that it’s here, I’m sorry it is, because it means leaving friends who inspire me and teachers who’ve been my mentors, so many people who’ve shaped my life, and my fellow students’ lives impermeably and forever.”