Starting senior year is a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, you’re excited and ready to start your life outside of college, but on the other, it starts to hit you that this is the last year you will be within a few minutes of your friends at all times. For the first time in four years, you don’t know where everyone is going to end up and if you’ll even see them again after graduation. Right now, on social media, all of my friends are posting their “Last First Day of School” photos commemorating their first day of senior year. For me though, it’s not my last year – I’m in the process of applying to grad school to get my master’s degree in Higher Ed Student Affairs so that I can hopefully come back to UNH at some point in the future. I don’t believe that this is the end of my journey as a Wildcat.
When I transferred here in the spring of my freshman year, I was taking a huge leap of faith. I had never toured the campus and knew almost nothing about the school, other than the fact that it was located in NH about an hour away from my favorite childhood vacation spot. Despite this, I took the jump and transferred to a school entirely sight unseen and I have not once regretted my decision. I can’t imagine where I would be today without the amazing experiences that I have had here at UNH, and I can’t believe that I am already entering the final year of my undergraduate career. There is no doubt in my mind that being at UNH and getting involved in student organizations was an integral part of my development and has undoubtedly taught me more about myself than I ever thought it could. This is why I love UNH so much and why I never want to leave.
The relationships I’ve formed, the things I’ve learned, and the growth I’ve undergone in the past years have been huge. In fact, they have impacted me so much that, in the past months, they have led me to realize that I want to work in Higher Ed so that I can help other students find and pursue their passions in the same way that the faculty and staff here at UNH did for me. Without people such as Dave Zamansky, Curt Kenoyer, Jonathan Constable, and Raul Bernal, I never would have realized where my passions truly lie. Being the daughter of two teachers and someone who has always loved school and learning, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I eventually settled on a career path in education. In fact, my enthusiasm for student activities and programming – specifically the UNH Campus Activities Board – makes it pretty obvious that I am meant to make a career out of this. I even spent four years as a camp counselor, for goodness sake! I don’t know why it took me so long to realize, but I’m so glad I did.
Going into my final year of undergrad, I am both scared for the future and excited for the path that lies ahead of me. Now that I know what I want to do post-grad, I am even more excited, and I can spend the rest of my senior year preparing myself. I don’t know what the future holds for me, or where I’ll end up. I don’t even know if I will be able to see my friends after this year, but I do know one thing – this wasn’t my last first day of school. I’ll be back, even if I’m not a student. All I can do now is make the most of this year because, even if it isn’t my last first day of school, it may be my last first day at UNH or my last first day with all of my friends on the same campus. Here’s to many more memories to be made and first days to come!