I have been a walking disaster for weeks.

On Friday morning, I didn't make it to graduation practice because I just forgot I needed to be there. Two weeks ago I missed a presentation because I also just forgot about the fact that I had a class at that time, as I had every single Tuesday of the semester. I've driven with the parking brake on twice and tried to pay with the wrong change a fair few times.

Suffice it to say my brain is completely dead.

The rapid deterioration of my mental faculties and the general struggle that comes with nearing the finish line might suggest that I am ready to get out of here- but that couldn't be further from the truth. Nothing in me wants to leave this place. Each day leading up to graduation felt more surreal, a sense of preemptive homesickness slowly creeping up with every goodbye. But because of the experiences I have had and the people I have met, I know I am prepared for what's coming next.

In my senior year alone, I have written literally hundreds of pages, from my philosophy seminar to my communications thesis to my honors capstone. I could not have finished any of those two years ago. I know this because I tried--and failed--to take on a research project in my junior year. Riddled with doubt, I couldn't even complete it. The day it was due, I didn't leave my apartment, barely moving from the living room as I stared at my screen, watching the time tick away and the deadline pass, a dull ache growing in my chest. Not a year and a half later, I've produced that paper and others that were much harder, and no word count sounds too daunting to me anymore.

Thinking back to how panicked I was in D.C., trying to pull together a project that felt leagues out of my depth, and ultimately taking the 'F' rather than facing down my self-doubt, I can see how rapidly I've grown and how far I've come. I can't begin to express how grateful I am for these four years. Because although not all of my endeavors have been successes, college has taught me how to get through it all.

So today, I want to say thank you.

Thank you to the TLU staff who helped me find scholarships, who didn't yell at me for turning in my timesheets late for the umpteenth time, who helped me take on fun projects and go to conventions and write my resume, whose conversation never failed to brighten my day, and who are always there to support every one of us and make our campus beautiful and welcoming. You are the unsung heroes of TLU.

Thank you to my professors. It is without question that you are the reason I have been able to find my confidence and to produce work that I am proud of. Your belief in my ideas helped me believe in myself, and your willingness to show me how to take them further allowed me to continuously improve myself as a scholar.

Thank you to my newspaper team, for pushing me to be more creative, for having a sense of humor at three in the morning, and for being the group that has been dearest to my heart. I feel like I have a forever place in the history of this campus, because I know the LSL is in good hands with you.

And thank you to my friends, who have been there through all of the ups and downs. There are no words to describe the depth of the impact you have made on me, but know that I am more compassionate, more curious, and more capable because of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I cannot imagine my college career without all of you. I have found a stronger sense of home here than I have anywhere else, and I am so proud to be able to call myself a TLU graduate.