I’m a College Graduate!

Last Saturday, I got ready to walk across the stage in my cap and gown, underneath the beautiful oak trees of my college in North Carolina.

I can’t believe I am blogging about my college graduation, since it seems like just yesterday I was moving out-of-state to a school where I knew no one. It feels so surreal to me, and I don’t think it’s truly hit me yet. But I am so excited to announce that I have graduated from Elon University! With a degree in Strategic Communications, minors in Professional Writing and Spanish, a study abroad experience, internships and involvement in student organizations under my belt, I can say that my time at Elon was so amazing, beyond anything I could imagine.

Graduation preparation first started with Senior Week, where we had the chance to take photos in Elon’s finest fountain (something that is a must-do at my school, but also not really allowed on any given day). We also attended a fun senior gala, took senior photos, did some final bucket list items, ate at our favorite restaurants, saw alumni friends and soaked up our last days as college students.

I can say that graduation was an emotional day, and that leaving Elon has been really hard. It became a very loved home of mine, and it will remain to be.

I was so blessed at graduation to be surrounded by all of my best friends. They are the reason Elon has become home and that I have survived the challenged I faced in college. They have been my rock. And I am so glad that both my alumni friends and my friends who are not graduating yet were there to support us!

The Elon community is one of my favorites. They are my people, and I am so excited to see what being an Elon alum is like! It will be a new chapter, and I can’t wait to give back to the people who have given me so much!

I’m surely going to miss this place, but that means that it was an amazing time–full of making things happen and living life the way it should be lived! Bucket lists were almost completed, I took classes that challenged me, learned so many incredible lessons, and realized what it is like to be a life-long learner. I found my passions. I found incredible friends. Elon was definitely the place where I bELONged, but it made me realize that we all belong wherever we are. We are here, living in the moment. We are supposed to be here. Wherever we go, we belong. Let’s fully think about that. We are in the exact spot we’re supposed to be. How incredible.

While it may be a little weird and take some time getting used to, I can’t wait to see what happens next. We’re going off in the world to make a difference. To plant strong oak trees. To make sacrifices for others. To connect global communities. To continue to live life in motion. The world needs Elon graduates, and I am absolutely honored to be a part of this living, breathing community that grew from the heart of North Carolina.

This isn’t a goodbye, Elon, my friends. It is a hello to how we will transform the future. I’m so ready for it.

P.S. Check out the 28 Lessons I Learned in College! (My college reflection post!)