It's funny to look back to the point I was at a year ago. I was a high school senior; I was preparing for the last stretch of graduation. Looking forward to my next four years I would spend at Purdue. Looking forward to what my life would hold. Looking forward to not walking at my graduation.

Yes, that is right, not walking at my graduation.

I made the decision not to walk at my graduation when I found the trip of a lifetime, a Disney Cruise to Norway. I have always had a love for travel and Disney, so this was the perfect trip for me. I had the opportunity to see the Norwegian fjords while having a Frozen sing-a-long with Anna and Elsa, and I knew I had to take it.

When I first looked at the opportunity, I had to sit down and weight my options about if it was worth it to skip graduation for a trip like this. High school graduation is a once in a lifetime experience, and many people remember that moment for the rest of their lives. I had to decide if that was a moment I needed to have, or if I would be okay without it. When I began talking to people about my decision to not walk, I was met with a lot of hostility. People continuously told me that I would regret that for the rest of my life and that I was making a terrible decision. Let me tell you something; I don't regret a thing.

Instead of graduating in a class of over 600 people, over half of which I didn't know, I got to travel to Europe with my family and my best friend and see the world. I had the people that mattered at my graduation, and it was exactly what I needed. Don't get me wrong there are people that I would've loved to have seen me walk, but it was not the right choice for me, and they understood that.

I have absolutely no regrets from not walking; I wouldn't change a moment from that entire trip. I was with the people I loved celebrating a huge accomplishment, and that is really all you need when you graduate.