Back to school commercials. School supply sales. Uneasiness setting in. Although extremely exciting, my final year of college seems like it crept up on me. Four months gone; my last summer has quickly come to an end. It feels like I was just moving in as a Freshman and roaming around campus like a lost puppy. They weren’t kidding when they said the next four years would fly by.

Throughout my college career, I have met so many life-long friends and inspiring professors who have shaped my life in ways I could have never imagined. Having so many people truly believe in me and support me, not only academically, but also personally, is extremely uplifting. I consider myself incredibly lucky that I am fortunate enough to attend a school that genuinely wants to see their students succeed and be pushed out of their comfort zones in the best way possible. My university is the reason why I have grown so much as an individual.

To me, one of the most important aspects of college has been being pushed to do things I wouldn’t normally do. Throughout my years at school, I have been encouraged by professors to go on countless worldly adventures that, in hindsight, have made such a positive impact on my life.

For example, going abroad to London, England. Although eager to leave, I was still extremely nervous. I am not the type of person to jump into situations that are out of my comfort zone. I had never been out of the country before and was having second thoughts about the decision. It didn’t hit me that I would be over 3,000 miles away from home for three and a half months until I was sitting on a plane to England. Alone.

I came to realize that despite feeling apprehensive at first, studying abroad was the best decision I have ever made. I would have never done that without the persuasion of my school. I will treasure those lessons learned while on those explorations for the rest of my life.

Nevertheless, college has not been all smiles. There were also some extremely rough parts. Figuring out your place on campus and who you want to be is probably one of the toughest parts of all. Throughout this process, you might lose some friends who you thought were going to be in your life forever. You might change your mind about everything you thought you ever wanted for your future. Your major could change a million times. You might even feel completely lost and be on the verge of giving up. Yes, these times can be extremely discouraging, but they only push you closer in the right direction. No path to the future is perfectly paved. The more you fail, the more you learn what is best for you as an individual. That is what college is about.

As my college experience ends, aside from some bumps in the road, these past three years have been some of the best years of my life. I walked onto campus as a timid 18-year-old girl and will graduate as an independent 21-year-old woman. Here’s to senior year.