I’ve had plenty of “picture days” throughout my educational career, but none of them have affected me quite like this last one. School pictures were always something forced by my mother so she could have something somewhat decent to give to the grandparents. I think she knew my brothers and I wouldn’t dare act up in front of the stranger behind the camera like we did when it was her….she wasn’t wrong.

The stress of that one day every year was miserable. My mother would usually pick out my outfit because let’s face it, I didn't then and still don’t know how to dress myself most days. I’ll never forget when she thought a light colored shirt would be a good idea for a fifth grader that had pictures after lunch, because yep, you guessed it! I spilled right down the front of that lightly colored shirt. It wasn’t milk or something easy to hide of course; it was grape juice, dark purple. But hey, I loved purple!

You get the moral of the story, I HATED picture day, so getting the email for “senior pictures” made me laugh. My first thought was, “Thank God my mom isn’t here to make me do this.” But, after I realized what these pictures actually meant I decided I probably needed to do it for my mom. So I made the appointment, let my friends pick out my outfit (because nothing’s changed, I still can’t dress myself), and headed to the student center.

When I arrived, there were a couple of girls ahead of me. I was able to hear the photographer say, “Tilt your head a little to the left. Not that much. There you go. Big smile now.” *click* It was almost my turn and of course I was doing all I could to make sure I didn’t look like a potato in this photo. Finally, it was my turn. The photographer said my name, graduation year, and my major. As I took my seat, I felt my heart start racing. He took two shots and asked me to stand up and put my gown and hood on. Then he got the cap out.

When the photographer placed it on my head, I felt goose bumps all over my body. This was it. I was approaching the finish line of my Saint Mary’s education at a rapid pace. I stepped over to look in the mirror (again, to make sure I didn’t look like a potato) and to my surprise I saw a woman I never really noticed until right then. She looked so different from the girl that began here three short years ago. She looked confident, intelligent, but most importantly, she looked happy. It made me tear up a little. I would have never predicted this life for myself. I truly am so grateful I ended up traveling on the path that led me to this beautiful school.

After he finished the photos I realized these school pictures weren’t for my mom: they were for me. It was a sign that all of my blood, sweat, tears, and sleep deprivation wasn’t for nothing. So congrats new me! Who would have thought we would make it this far?

Stay tuned for the final product in May!