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 my sophomore year I felt alone. A lot of friends I made freshman year were nonexistent sophomore year. Some say that you find your “tribe” in college, but it wasn’t until junior year of college where 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, I started a new healthy relationship (the boyfriend & I have been together for 3 years in October!!!) and I started my new major. My favorite memories this year include: meeting my boyfriend, “welcome week 2014”, visits to the St. Paul science museum, homecoming parade, hiking in White Water National Park with a friend, Free Comic Book Day, 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 you 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 a 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 alumni and not a student. I am now a confident woman ready to take charge in the work force and change the world.
Love how you reflect on every year- good idea for a blog post. You’ve grown so much and I’m so happy for you! Can’t wait for you to live in mpls/st. paul! We can go on tons of adventures! 🙂
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Yay I am so excited for all of our adventures to come! There are so many posts I could write about college because I loved the experience.
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Congratulations on your graduation!! I bet it feels amazing. Loved reading the recap!
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It was amazing! I can’t believe I am done with college.
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Well congrats on graduating! There is never a more exciting time than doing just that!!!!
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I know! I am looking forward to all the bigger steps in my life which includes moving out permanently from my mom’s house and getting my life together. I am excited.
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Wow! This post is perfect! I loved the pics. You captured your adventure so well!
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We had gorgeous weather that weekend so I didn’t even have to alter the pictures in any way which was really nice.
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