The past 4 years here have been nothing but a surprise. The person I was senior year of high school would not recognize me, a senior in college. As the end comes I can’t help but have a bitter-sweet feeling about it. I am excited about moving on and going to grad school at the University of New Haven for Forensic Science (I know the other UNH lol) but I am also sad to leave the memories behind.
My freshman year was a rough one. I even debated transferring and would call my mom crying saying how I didn’t belong here. But by the end, I met my current roommate and one of my best friends. Tallie Anne thank you for sticking by me and coming to see dogs with me, if we didn’t I don’t know if life at UNH would have been the same. I also met my best friend, Sam, and we have been attached at the hip ever since (shout out to accepted students day and the Genetics department). Sam, what can I say besides girl you deserve an award for sticking with me. I love you, and I don’t know what I am going to do when I can’t see you every day.
My sophomore year was the most important year here. This was the year I found where I belonged. How I found my friend group will always be the best story. The friends I made sophomore year are the friends I had the rest of college and will have for a lifetime. Josh, Ben, Lucas, James, Max, and Mike, (and TA obviously) you will never understand the impact you guys had on my life. You are the people that convinced me that I belonged here. I grew up in a small town with the same friends since I was in elementary school, making friends was hard, I can’t thank you guys enough for proving me wrong. I was meant to be here because of you guys and I will love you guys until the end of time. I didn’t realize I would find lifelong friends this year. This was also the year I took Biostats. After I took this class I became a teaching assistant for the class. That was the same semester we went online for COVID. Once we went online my college experience changed and on top of that, I didn’t think I was going to TA for this class again. But, I ended up being a TA for Biostats until my last semester of senior year. Thank you, Dr. Patrica Jarema, for giving me this amazing opportunity. I learned so much from you and gained so many life skills. Also, thank you for being the faculty member that had the most impact on my experience here at UNH. I could not thank you enough for being more than just a professor to me but also a friend. And to everyone that was a TA with me, especially Jess, thank you for the unexpected friendships and for teaching me how to collaborate with people I didn’t know beforehand. You made me so comfortable to be myself. My sophomore year was when the start of COVID. The pandemic changed my college experience for a while.
My junior year was the start of my adult life. I moved into an off-campus apartment (2 seconds from campus) for the first time. I met 2 of my roommates through a random draw. I am still friends with them to this day and I love them dearly. Junior year was hard with half virtual and half in person so adjusting was definitely difficult. It was also the year most of my friends turned 21. I have a late birthday so I never got to go to the bar with my friends that were older. But it was still fun. I passed all my classes and it was a fun year. But thank you Holly and Skylar for being my first apartment roommates off-campus and still being friends with me to this day. I know you will also be there for me.
Now to my senior year at UNH. This is an emotional one. I started out the summer working in research. My TA from sophomore Biostats, and my friend Alyssa, invited me to work with her on her research. Going into it I was very nervous. I have never worked in a lab independently until then and as time went on I enjoyed it. I got to contribute my own ideas and problem solve on my own which I love to do. I even got to present my work at the Undergrad Research Conference which made all my hard work worth it. I also met my 2 other roommates this year instantly became two of my closest friends. Frannie and Emily you guys have made senior year so much fun and I am so happy that you guys were randomly assigned as our roommates. I can’t imagine the year without you guys and becoming a part of our friend group. This year I was also the Co-correspondent for Her Campus. Her Campus has been a huge part of my college experience. I don’t think my college experience would have been the same if I had never gone to that first meeting freshman year. And now I am leaving after an amazing year of being co-president alongside Sofie. I couldn’t have asked for a better co-correspondent and I got a life-long friend all-in-one.
Saying goodbye has been difficult. UNH made me the person I am today and leaving that part of my life behind seems unreal. I have learned so much during my time here. But I am excited for the future. Thank you UNH. Once a wildcat, always a wildcat.