I can remember freshmen year like it was yesterday. I was ready for college. I was so tired of high school; having to go to the same classes every day of the week, with the same people I've known since kindergarten. It wasn't the people or what I was learning that got under my skin, but it was the repetition that did. I was especially attracted to the freedom that college offered.

Although I did not attend school far from home, being on campus felt like a different world. I got to make my own schedule, eat breakfast in class when I was running late, and most importantly, never feel the restriction of having to raise my hand to leave the room.

College changed me as a student. I worked hard. I studied. I did my own paperwork. I felt like an adult. No one filed in a straight line to walk anywhere and we were able to wear flip flops whenever we pleased - I never felt more liberated.

My first year flew by. Before I knew it I was staring down the finish line, and filing for final audit. It felt like I blinked, and the four years I had been waiting for passed through me without getting the chance to let it all settle in. There were merely days separating me from the last day of the semester when I thought, where do I go from here?

The moment it truly hit me was at a place where I'm sure that many could relate to - the graduation party. Though it is a celebration, by the end of the night I wanted to curl up in a ball in the corner of my room and hide. I was greeted by friends and family, all congratulating and praising me on a job well done, but there was one question asked by all that left a haunting impression, and that was, "So, what now?"

What now? My head began to spin. My response was similar, calculated even. I can't lie, I thought about what I would say to everyone. I didn't want to disappoint anyone because I didn't have a new job yet, or that I didn't have the answer myself, so I began to say anything that I could think of. It was the typical, "I'm thinking about graduate school," or, "I'm waiting to hear back from a few places," and the, "I'm keeping my options open."

The truth is I wasn't sure myself. Yes, I have been furiously filling out applications to companies and universities, but I have so many ideas of where I want to be in the professional world, that I don't know where I would rather start first. I began college with one idea in mind for my future, and left with more than I could manage at one time without giving myself an anxiety attack.

I heard a rumor once that it is okay to not have a plan set in stone after graduation. I am slowly starting to learn that there is no rush, and that my success will come when I am ready.

So, for the recent graduates out there:

Don't lose yourself in the what if's and the what now's. Take a deep breath in and let go of the worry. You made it this far - you are more than halfway there. Celebrate your accomplishment and continue pushing onward and upward. The most important thing in life is to find something you are passionate about and run with it. Remember, happiness is key.

Congratulations, Class of 2016 - you got this!