May 5, 2008

I am now an OSU alumna. It’s a strange feeling, but I’ve only been one for a couple of days so I trust I’ll get used to it with time. Graduation was a surreal experience, but let’s back up and talk about what you missed in the past two weeks. 

My boss thankfully allowed me to finish work during dead week so I didn’t have to work during finals week. (That’s one of the perks to a work-study position.) With only two finals, I thought I would spend my days napping and watching TV, but that’s not exactly how it worked out.

I spent a lot of my time planning and attending several dinner parties with the people who have meant a lot to me during the past four years. I’m not sure how long it will be until I see them again, so I wanted to spend some time with them and thank them for everything they’ve done.

The rest of my time was spent getting ready for graduation (a.k.a. cleaning the apartment and making graduation gifts). But it wasn’t all fun and games. I did manage to spend a few hours studying, which helped me secure an A in each of my classes. Yay!

By Wednesday, I had finished all my finals and the only thing standing between me and my college degree was the graduation ceremony on Saturday.

Not everyone attends their graduation ceremony, but the actual ceremony was extremely important to me. Not only did I need some closure, but also after four years of hard work, it was nice to be recognized with the rest of my class for all our achievements.

Looking back, the day is a bit of a blur. My roommate and I went a little early so we could find our friends and get in line for the march to Gallagher-Iba Arena.

We took what seemed like endless pictures, but before I knew it, we were sitting on the court looking through the crowd to find our families. We spotted them just before the ceremony began. I don’t remember much of what the speakers said that day because I was preoccupied with everything going on around me.

As they began calling out names, I realized we were sitting toward the back, which wasn’t the most brilliant decision. It seemed like forever before it was my turn to walk across the stage, but when I finally did, it was wonderful.

Completing college is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. I know I’ll face many more challenges in the years to come, but my time at OSU has taught me that anything is possible.

I didn’t think college was an option for me until I received the generous support of my family and scholarship donors. I am so thankful for the opportunities I have been given, and I hope to begin returning the favor when I enter the workforce in about 22 days.

I have such wonderful memories of OSU, and I’m glad I got to share some of them with you. Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it benefited you in as many ways as it has benefited me.

	My PRSSA officers are wonderful! We’ve had a great year and it was good to see everyone before they left for the summer. This was one of many dinner parties I told you about.
	These are the girls I sat with during graduation. We had some much fun! (Left to Right: Brittney, Krissi, me and Kim)
	Here we go! This is a picture of Kim and me marching to Gallagher-Iba.
	This will give you an idea of how many people were in front of me. It took FOREVER!
	Here I am just after getting my diploma. I was really excited.
	Here I am after graduation with my family. I’m so glad they were there to support me!