Hello geek friends and blog followers! As you can probably tell.. my posts have been somewhat irregular. I actually really dislike when I go more than a week without blogging, but life happens. I am thrilled to announce that I officially graduated from college at Winona State University! My B.S. is in Exercise Science with a minor in nutrition and I am currently in the process of relocating with the boyfriend to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I wanted to reflect on my years at school and post plenty of pictures.

Freshman Year; Naive, Insecure and Excited (2012 – 2013)

First of all, I look like a baby in all three of these pictures. The first picture was right before my family left me at school. I remember seeing them leaving and crying my eyes out for a good hour. I was scared and I didn’t know what to expect. Eventually I grouped with my floor mates and I figured everything out.

The one thing I will miss about freshman year is how exciting everything is. I’m in a fresh town to explore, new people to meet and I took a lot of pictures. The last picture was with one of my very first friends I met in college. Unfortunately we don’t keep up anymore, but in this picture I was still incredibly happy that I met her. College just forces you to meet so many new people at once and it’s overwhelming in that way.

Sophomore Year; Lonely, Confused and Insecure (2013 – 2014) 

The first photo is confusing, but during my sophomore year, I felt alone. A lot of friends I made the first year were nonexistent sophomore year. Some say that you find your “group” in college, but it wasn’t until my junior year of college that I felt happy with my friend group. That’s okay. College is a different experience for everyone and I happened to have my own journey in meeting friends who had my back.

I did join Astronomy Club my sophomore year of college which I really enjoyed along with volunteering at the local humane society. These experiences helped get me through the toughest year of college.

Junior Year; Independent, Delighted and Spectacular (2014 – 2015) 

This was my absolute favorite year in college. I found my friend group, started a new healthy relationship (the boyfriend & I have been together for 3 years since October!!!), and started my new major. My favorite memories this year include: meeting my boyfriend, “welcome week 2014”, visits to the St. Paul science museum, the homecoming parade, hiking in White Water National Park with a friend, Free Comic Book Day, and Living in Winona for the summer and so much more. Thanks, Junior Year for lifting my spirits.

Senior Year; BROKE (2015 -2016) 

It’s common for most college students to have that one year in school where they struggle to pay for food. That was my senior year. I took trips in the summer of 2015 that left me without much money. I really have nothing else more to say about this year so let’s move on.

Super Senior Year; (2016 – 2017) Bored, Impatient and Proud. 

I was impatient because I was taking the 5th year to complete my degree and bored with the college experience. I just wanted my degree and to move on with the next chapter of my life. I am so proud of earning my degree by myself! It didn’t feel like I was graduating until I walked into the gymnasium filled with loved ones. I waved to my mom as I found my seat and that’s when I had the epiphany of being done with college. I almost started to cry because I am sure in a couple months I will look back on these years and really miss each year. Eventually, I want to write a post about the life lessons I learned from college because I am a changed person in these 5 years compared to my shy 18-year-old self.

That’s the basic summary of my college experience. I am so proud and am slightly tearing up writing this post. I am now an alumnus and not a student. I am now a confident woman ready to take charge in the workforce and change the world.