These past four years have been filled with laughs, tears, adventures, difficulties and new experiences. Even though I’m exhausted and ready for a break, saying goodbye to college is hard.
My freshman year was exciting and overwhelming. I met so many people that year. Some were wonderful and will be friends of mine for the rest of my life, and some were there to teach me tough life lessons.
I experienced burnout for the first time ever in my first semester here. I learned to work quickly under pressure and managed to finish that semester strong.
One of my courses taught me to be a strong public speaker even though it was a fear of mine. Another course gave me the opportunity to present my research paper at a pop culture conference after completing the course.
I joined Her Campus at Kennesaw my second semester while it was still starting up. Being part of the birth of our chapter of Her Campus is something I will always treasure. The people I’ve met through this chapter are lovely and I hope to keep in touch with them long after graduation.
My sophomore year started off great. I met even more amazing people and joined the student paper, The Sentinel as a news writer.
I met someone in a class and because of The Sentinel, he became one of my best friends.
My courses during my sophomore year taught me how to be a journalist and I worked hard to perfect my skills in my work for Her Campus and The Sentinel.
More classes meant more friends for me, too. Unfortunately, my classes went digital after spring break that year.
I had three hours to move out of my dorm and say goodbye to living with my childhood best friend. Zoom sessions became my daily routine and I had to adjust to living at home again.
My junior year started off completely online. I moved into an apartment and spent the majority of my time there that semester.
I didn’t really get a chance to meet anyone new from my online courses. The few people I did meet became casual friends that I interact with on social media occasionally.
When campus opened up again, it took some adjusting to get used to in person classes again. I was glad to be back with people in my major and learn in a classroom again.
Senior year is when everything started to get crazy for me. I started the first semester as the managing editor for The Sentinel and loved my job.
I became friends with the other editors and was working alongside one of my best friends. I turned 22 and life was great.
After my birthday, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I spent nights at the hospital with him and drove to campus early on no sleep to get to work and class.
I had to re-home my pet ducks, but I was still able to visit them some weekends. Being there for my family became the most important thing for me.
I stepped down from my position at The Sentinel at the end of the semester. I spent winter break with my family and cherished every moment.
Going into my final semester, I was hopeful. I wanted to end my college career on a good note.
Sadly, my rabbit broke her leg and the beginning of the semester was spent with worry while she was on cage rest and medication. I started to fall behind in classes because my course load was so heavy.
I planned to use my last spring break to catch up on everything. My rabbit was scheduled to have an amputation the Monday of the break, but she unexpectedly died right before the operation began.
I mourned the loss of my beloved pet and best friend of nine and a half years the entire break and got nothing done. I still miss her every day.
I started to catch up again a while later. I had a story published in the AJC through my most difficult class. I started attending classes again and turning in assignments.
I’m still working hard to get everything turned in before the semester ends and I’m exhausted.
Even though it feels like my life went completely downhill my senior year, I’m not sure if I’m ready for it to end. I’m tired and ready to be done, but I know I’m going to miss seeing my friends on campus. I’m going to miss being in school even though that sounds crazy.
My time in college has been a wild ride and I would change some of it if I could. Overall though, I think my college experience was pretty enjoyable. I don’t want to admit it, but I think my time here has prepared me for the real word. I might not be ready to say goodbye yet, but I know I’m prepared.