I’m officially in my last week of my undergraduate college experience. The past four years have been some of the hardest yet most rewarding years of my life. At the end of my freshman year of college, I wrote an article for Her Campus titled “One Year Down: A Look Back at Freshman Year”. It is so bittersweet to go back and read that article and remember the girl who wrote it. That first year changed me in so many ways, but little did I know there was so much more in store. But I think freshman year me would be incredibly proud of the woman I have become, and I am incredibly grateful that she laid the foundation to get me where I am today.
The majority of my academic gymnastics to choose my majors happened my freshman year when I switched majors from PPE to Social Justice and Cultural Studies, added a Journalism major, and switched my Honors major to a minor. I thought that would be the end of it, but I made one last switch, from Journalism to Sociology, which may have been the best academic decision I have ever made in my life. Do I know what I plan to do with my majors when I graduate? No. Will I probably make very little money? Yes. But I have loved my classes, loved my classmates, loved my professors, and loved the way Sociology has informed my perspective of the world. My education at SPU has felt so important and so personal, and while my degrees may not be the most marketable (especially in this economy), I cannot bring myself to regret the choices that I made.
SPU as an institution is deeply flawed, but the community of faculty and friends that has supported me these past four years is truly remarkable. I will not forgive the board of trustees for the decisions they have made, the hearts they have broken, and the talent they have driven away. However, I cannot look at SPU entirely with disdain after all that it has given me. I want to thank Dr. Neuhouser, Dr. McKinney, Dr. Tom, Dr. Mondesir, Dr. Shaban, Dr. Segall, Dr. MH, and Dr. Walter especially for the challenging, engaging, and transformative education that I have had.
Outside of schoolwork and the never ending grind that is the quarter system, I have met so many incredible people and had so many incredible experiences. The life changing connections I made that first year of university continue to alter my life in truly incredible ways. Emily and Schuyler, who I so eloquently referred to as “two of the greatest loves of my life” in that article from freshman year (after only knowing them for nine months) continue to be just that. I knew then and I know now that there is no version of my future that they are not intimately a part of. Since those first nine months, they have continued to embed themselves in my life and the very core of who I am. Emily has been promoted to “best roommate ever” and Schuyler has been promoted to “girlfriend” (of over two and a half years now). They have seen me at my very best and helped me through my very worst. Growing together, and also watching them grow as individuals, has been the greatest gift that college has given me.
My family likes to joke that I have only two friends, but Dex, Josh, Dylan, Taylor, Abigail, Gigi, Lolo, Kenzie, Cookie, Emma, Haylie, and so many others have filled my college experience with so many bright memories. My seven closest friends from my hometown also continue to be so important in my life, and I love going back to visit and getting to hear all their stories and watch their lives unfold. Each friend, from Colorado or Seattle has made an indelible mark on my heart and on my life.
These last four years have been so instrumental to my personal growth. I feel that I am gentler, more confident, maybe more sad, but also more at peace. I believe I have grown in ways that make me a better friend, a better daughter, a better sibling, and a better employee (IF ANYONE OUT THERE IS HIRING). Seattle has become my home, one that I have poured my heart into creating, and one that I feel like I will always come back to. I see a future for myself in this city, and while life may eventually pull me in new directions, for now I am content to stay right where I am.
So much has changed since I left the small town that had held my life for over 18 years and moved over 1,000 miles away to start college in a brand new city. Four years, four declared major switches, one internship, two study abroads, many emotional crises, and 28 Her Campus articles later, here I am. I’m a little older and a little wiser (I even got my first gray hairs). I’m a little directionless and a little okay with being directionless for now. These past four years have been difficult, emotional, and life-altering, but also joyful and fulfilling. I will always think fondly of my time in college, but in the spirit of not peaking when I am only 22, I’m sure the best is still to come.
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P.S. I would like to formally thank my Her Campus team. I want to thank Haley Blain for the work we were able to do together last year and the progress we made that made this year possible. I want to thank Emma Grande for being so consistent and reliable for all four years (even when everything was all over the place). I want to thank Jane Sweeney and Karissa Brown for stepping into leadership roles and always being willing to pick up any slack. I especially want to thank Katie Hill for allowing me the freedom to spend my last quarter abroad. I never planned to take on the role of President, and I never would have been able to do it without my team this year. Her Campus has probably been the most consistent thing in my college life, and I am so grateful to be leaving our chapter in such capable hands.