To the university that changed my life:

As graduation day approaches, I am reminded of just how amazing you have been throughout the past four years of my life. Without this university, the faculty, staff and students I have met, I would not be who I am today: a young woman who is both excited and nervous to leave Athens and head into the "big kid" world.

Over the years, I have met so many people because of you. I have met my best friends, some amazingly brilliant professors and the love of my life. I was pushed by these people to go abroad and explore the world, to find a new experience and learn more about myself than I could imagine. People like to say that things happen for a reason, and I think I was supposed to go to Ohio University.

Although you started as my back-up plan, you quickly became my first choice. Stepping on to campus on a chilly November day, I distinctly remember feeling at peace, as if everything came together and I found my home. I was in awe at your beauty, the fall leaves decorating both the limbs of trees and the bricks on College Green really struck me and reminded me of the ideal college campus you see in the movies. I was in love. I am still in love and in awe of your beauty.

Throughout my time here, you have pushed me to be my best, to succeed when faced with difficulties and to strive for greatness. You have given me countless opportunities to push myself and explore the opportunities around me. Thank you for showing me my potential.

Thank you for opening your doors to not only me, but to so many other students over the years. Thank you for giving me a place where I have grown and discovered myself. Thank you for showing me that people can express themselves and fight for what they believe in.

And lastly, thank you for giving me a home. Ohio University is not just an institution for learning, it is a community where people can come together and share a common love, and that love is this university. The Bobcat family is truly something special, and I am so fortunate to have been and continue to be a part of it. Throughout my time here, I have caught myself saying "I'm going home" in reference to returning to Athens after a weekend or holiday break away, and that says so much in itself.

I have talked to many alumni who say Athens is a special place that will always have your heart. And it is. Ohio University and Athens have become a part of all past and present Bobcats, and will continue to do so in the future.

As it reads in our Alma Mater: "When e'er we take our book of mem'ries/And scan its pages through and through/We'll find no days that glow so brightly/As those we spent at old OU." I have never found a statement truer than this.

Thank you for everything, Ohio University.

With love,

A Forever Bobcat