March 3, 2008

I have been thinking about birthdays and funerals a lot lately. Although they may seem to be opposites, they are really very much alike. Funerals and birthdays are occasions for us to celebrate and look back on life. 

I suppose the reason for this observation is that my great grandmother passed away last week. At the funeral, I thought about how quickly life progresses. My great grandmother was 96 and while that might sound old, 96 years is nothing in the grand scheme of things. America is considered a very young country and it has been around for more than 200 years! 

That got me thinking about my own life. I will turn 22 on Wednesday. I can’t believe my birthday is here again. It seems like I turned 21 just yesterday. So what have I been doing for the past year?

After careful consideration, I decided that without realizing it, I have taken some pretty big steps toward becoming an adult in just 365 days.

For starters, I finally found out what I want to do after graduation. Before my internship at the OSU Foundation this past spring, I had no idea. I now know not only what area of PR I want to work in, but also what organization I want to work for. That was a huge development.

I also realized that it has been more than a year since I lived at home. Usually I go back to Hennessey to live with my parents during the summer, but because of my job last summer at the PR agency, Saxum Communications, I lived in Edmond during the break. It was a hard transition, but I learned a lot about myself in the process.

When school started, my best friend and I moved to an apartment off campus. This gave me a sense of independence that I didn’t have while living in the dorms. Don’t get me wrong, I liked living on campus and would recommend it to everyone, but after three years of microwavable meals, I was ready for a change.

Being back at OSU this year has completely changed certain aspects of my life. Before, I would have classified myself as a follower who could be a leader if she had to. Now, the reverse of that statement is true.

Thanks to the support of my family and generous scholarship donors, I have been able to experience leadership like never before. I love it because it’s made a better, more responsible person. Whether volunteering as team leader for the MS Walk or organizing a Donor Thank-A-Thon for the Student Foundation, I now feel confident that I can tackle any challenge that comes my way.

At the funeral, the pastor described my great grandma’s life in three words: loving, giving and serving. I don’t know about you, but I would be more than satisfied if people remembered me for loving what I do and the people who surround me, giving my time and effort to causes I believe in, and serving God and others to the best of my ability.

I think my goal for next year will be trying to live up to my great grandma’s example while enjoying all the twists and turns life brings.

	Thank-A-Thon On Friday, the Student Foundation had its first Donor Thank-A-Thon. Here are some of the wonderful StuFu members calling donors to say thank you!
	Thank-A-Thon2 We spent most of the evening calling donors, but we also took some time to eat and get to know one another better. (Left to Right: Layne, Abby, Jared, Devin, Lindsey)
	Birthday Happy birthday to me! Because I won’t see my family on Wednesday, we celebrated my birthday this weekend. (I got an iPod!)
	Weather: This week was absolutely beautiful. On Thursday, I decided to eat my lunch on library lawn. In between dodging Frisbees, I managed to snap a picture of everyone enjoying the day.