40 Days...

40 days until I wear my cap and gown and sit amongst thousands of graduates in Kenan Memorial Stadium. 40 days until the stands are filled with friends and family celebrating the hard work we’ve all put in the last few years.?

When I think about the future, a lot of it is still unknown. I know that a few weeks after graduation I will explore Europe with some of my best friends ( Kathleen Leahy , Quinn Carter , Haley Duncan , Ally Costello ) for three weeks, paragliding and eating great foods. I know I will move out of my apartment I have called home for the last year with Maya Evans and Alexa Gornet . But, that’s where it stops.

Everyone’s favorite questions to ask soon-to-be college graduates are “What are your plans after graduation? Have you found a job?” To that, I reply each time with “I’m still discovering what’s next for me.” As of now, I am diving head first into the unknown after graduation. I have no clue where I will be, what I will be doing, and what people I will be surrounded by. Yes, I have my hopes and wishes of what will happen, but there is little to no controlling the future.

The truth is, this entire class of college graduates is used to dealing with unknowns. When Covid-19 disrupted our freshman years, some may have thought we would never have in-person classes again. As a transfer student during this era of online “bonding” with classmates, it was unknown if I would ever find people I truly bonded with. Throughout time, the unknowns became less daunting and they became easier to embrace. This is because we found that everything will, in fact, work out. Classes did return back to in-person, and people were able to find true friendships.?

That same idea that “everything will work out” continues beyond the bubble of college. Moving forward, I still have many unknowns about my future, along with countless other students. However, I am fully prepared to face the unknown and I look forward to updating you all about what happens next.