As per tradition, every graduating member of Her Campus Millersville writes a senior farewell before their big day. As the now-former-president of the organization, you would think I would have drafted this post a month in advance. However, I couldn’t force myself to sit down and type out my feelings until now: the day after graduation.
I guess it’s because it doesn’t really even feel like I’ve graduated yet, but that I’m just on summer break and will be returning to Millersville in August for yet another fall semester. But I’m not. And that’s a bittersweet revelation that keeps hitting me every five minutes or so.
My journey through college was likely similar to other graduates’: filled with highs, lows, countless obstacles, numerous stress-induced meltdowns, and gallons upon gallons of coffee. I started out my first semester of college feeling uncertain and afraid of the road that lay ahead. At that time, I was being influenced by certain people who kept reminding me that college is not for everyone and, more specifically, not for me. Because of their negative words, I was socially awkward, petrified of failing, and had an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. Thankfully, I cleansed my life of those unsupportive people and began the second semester of my freshman year with a clean slate.
As I grew into myself and slowly began discovering my strengths, I also started taking notice of somebody I had met the previous semester — a tall, goofy guy with bright blue eyes and the most infectious laugh. Just after our freshman year came to a close, we began dating — and now we’re just four months away from our wedding day.
When we returned to Millersville the following semester, I found myself questioning the path I had chosen for the rest of my life. At that time, I was a theatre major and, while I loved being on stage, I knew performing wasn’t meant to be my job. So, I took a leap and changed my major to communication studies — which was, hands down, one of the best decisions I made during my undergraduate career. Thanks to my professors and their evident passion for teaching, I retained (almost) all of the information that was thrown my way and, somehow, still have a desire to continue learning to this day.
During the first semester of my junior year, I took another leap of faith and attended Her Campus Millersville’s first meeting of the semester. I had seen the organization’s flyers all over campus that spring and immediately knew I wanted to join. Although I wasn’t sure what to expect, I went into that meeting and fell in love with Her Campus, its mission, and the people involved in my chapter. I even ran for secretary before the meeting was over and, somehow, was voted into the position. (Go hard or go home, am I right?) Throughout my first semester in Her Campus, I made invaluable memories and irreplaceable friends — many of whom I still see and talk to on a daily basis. The following semester, I ran for president and was entrusted with the responsibility of growing and maintaining this organization.
As I reflect on my time in that position, as well as my time in Her Campus as a whole, I hope that I did my part well. I hope I continued to foster an open and accepting environment, where members knew it was totally okay to be themselves and talk about their personal problems (no matter how personal they were). I hope our meetings were the highlight of our members’ weeks, because they were always the highlight of mine. I hope every girl (and guy) who has ever been a part of Her Campus Millersville knows that they will always have an advocate in me. I hope this organization will continue to grow and flourish and slay just the way it always has.
So thank you to all of my HC babes for the countless coffee runs, group texts, and times you made me laugh so hard I actually cried. Thank you for traveling to New York City to support me when I walked in College Fashion Week 2016. Thank you for the movie nights, the pizza, and the inside jokes that even we don’t fully understand. Thank you for accepting me in spite of my quirks and slip-ups. Thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and, most importantly, for becoming my second family and Media Sisterhood. Thank you for being yourselves and, in turn, helping me become a better version of myself. Words can’t even begin to express how much I’ll miss our Wednesday night meetings, our bonding events, and our overwhelming love for Her Campus. Thank you for making me smile for the past two years, for allowing me to be your leader, and for being the reason I got to wear those pink Her Campus cords at graduation yesterday. It meant the world to me. You all mean the world to me. So stay sassy, stay inviting, and keep being goal diggers. And remember that this isn’t goodbye, just (a really tearful) see you later.
HCXO, Dezi
*All images courtesy of Dezi Somerville