Graduation. The big moment when your friends and family members get to watch you walk across the Laurie auditorium stage with a big smile on your face. It’s the crowning achievement of all you have worked for. When those credit hours, long all-nighters and sleepless nights come together and culminate in your diploma. Because after being at Trinity for four years, you can finally go out into the world and make a difference.
During my time at Trinity, I’ve grown as a person and become more confident about who I am.
As a first-year, I worried about the possibility of failing out of Trinity — I had never seen so many Cs listed on my transcript. I got my first job as a Physics Shop Aide Assistant where I still work to this day. I had never even had a roommate until freshman year, so living with someone was both exciting and terrifying. Sophomore year was filled with more adventures and more time to grow. My best memories were those with my roommate who was an exchange student from Korea. We spent all of fall semester having late-night chats about school and life. It became a running joke that our room light was on 24/7, as most nights she would go to sleep at 3 a.m. while I would wake up at 2 a.m. to finish homework. (F.Y.I. I don’t recommend doing this!) This also was the year I met my boyfriend, who continues to support me in everything I do. Junior year was full of change. I went from someone who was afraid to do most everything outside of my comfort zone to someone who flew across the globe to study abroad in China. I made great friends there, had an amazing roommate and quickly realized I have the Chinese speaking ability of a two-year-old — despite all the Chinese courses I had under my belt. Senior year flew by, and now I’m already reminiscing about the good times I had in college. Nothing comes close to ordering Whataburger at 3 a.m. with friends, or getting thrown willingly in the fountain for my birthday my first year, or to the late-nighters where I swear I had newfound inspiration waiting until the last minute to do my assignments, or studying in the library for hours on end and finally making the Dean’s List — a huge accomplishment given my first-year GPA of 2.6 — or doing an education practicum and having pre-K students all rush to hug me in the morning.
I couldn’t have done it without the support of family and friends. Thank you to my parents, especially my mother who was my rock. From those late-night frantic phone calls about essays due the next day to worrying about tuition payments, my mom took care of it all. As for not letting me quit Chinese, maybe later I’ll be thankful. Thank you to my friends who were there when I needed help or someone to talk to. Thank you to my professors for teaching me all there is to know about sociology and other subjects. Thank you to Trinity for giving me a chance to excel. And thank you to Rudy, who I love with all my heart.
