Just recently, I went to a banquet in which exceptional people were recognized on my campus. People who have done a lot and make me feel pretty lazy. Having 4.0 GPAs, studying in fellowships, having stellar jobs lined up, winning awards, going to amazing graduate schools, leading community service projects…people who have all of the above. As I sat there, feeling worse and worse about myself, I decided I needed to toot my own horn for once, and try and bring my spirits up about all the things I have accomplished.

I’m not graduating, technically, this spring. I’ll be getting my diploma in August, because while all the required classes for my degree are done, I still have to get up to count on credits. It almost feels like a lie, me walking at the ceremony in two weeks, even though really it’s not.

I also don’t have a job lined up. I actually am not even sure what I want to do. Part of me wants to fly far away and pursue some dreams out of state in another city, but another part of me feels tied down to home with my family, and who can blame me? After getting rejected by the one graduate program I feel could advance my career, it’s hard not to be a little lost right now. Not only this, but my degree is in English Writing, which isn’t taken seriously by a lot of employers. They immediately look at me and think of fanfiction and fantasy writing, and not the communication and critical thinking skills I’ve achieved.

But here is what I have done, despite these and many more insecurities.

I’m graduating a full year early. I earned a bachelor of science in just three years.

I have a 3.58 GPA, just shy of graduating Magna Cum Laude. But I’m still Cum Laude, which means I’m still graduating with honors.

I’m the Editor in Chief of the Odyssey at Northern Michigan University, starting it just from the ground up, and while I may not have hit a lot of goals I wanted to achieve, that’s still a big accomplishment.

I’m leaving my sorority having played a leadership role on its Grand Council as an international liaison, which meant I also got to travel all the way to Seattle, a city I fell in love with.

I made a lot of wonderful friends, who I’m going to miss desperately once I’m gone, though I get to see them this summer when one gets married.

I decided to go back to this beautiful school and keep going with my education, 400 terribly long miles away from home, just a month after my little brother died. But I also kept my job and passed all my classes and maintained my leadership roles. To this day, despite how hard it’s been, it’s still one of my biggest accomplishments, and the one I’m most proud of.

I’m terrified and scared, but at least while I may not have accomplished as much as my peers, I’ve still done pretty well, and that’s what matters most.