Dear You,

Going into college, I was told "I can't" about many different things. I apparently was not the type of person that could make it through college.

I was told by many of you that I was not going to be able to last living in a dorm in a college. You didn't think I was going to be able to live away from my parents. You thought my anxiety disorder was going to act up when I had to stay somewhere that isn't at home.

I was told that I was going to have a hard time transitioning into college because transition is one of my biggest anxiety triggers. It's like you were telling me I was setting myself up to fail.

Well I have plenty to say to you.

Last week, I graduated after attending a 4 year college where I lived in a dorm. I knew my own limits. I chose a school that was close enough where I could come home on the weekends. But as the years went on, I loved staying over the weekends. Living in a dorm was by far my favorite part of my college experience. It felt great to be independent and not have to worry about my parents nagging me about homework. I had amazing roommates for 3 years and I absolutely loved living in a dorm.

Yes, the transition into college was not easy; no transition is going to be easy for me. My freshman year was a very rocky start. I started the first week of college crying in my room trying to get adjusted. Right after that, I picked myself up, wiped off the tears, and went out there to find myself. I ended up finding my family away from home, my theater group. They helped me adjust to this crazy new life. Since I had a rocky freshman year, my GPA definitely did not start off as high as it should have. That's okay. I stayed focused for the next three years and got nothing lower than a B in all my classes.

No, I did not graduate with any of the college honors. That doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that I was able to pick myself up after a rocky start. However, I graduated with honors chords around my neck from Sigma Tau Delta; the International English Honor Society in which I was inducted into during my junior year. I also not only passed my edTPA (which is the biggest, most important test education majors need to pass in order to apply for certification), but I passed with mastery.

One of my favorite things about my college experience was that I truly found myself. From having independence and my path going in the direction it did, I was able to learn more about myself and who I am as a person. None of this would have happened if I listened to people like you who told me I couldn't.

So I guess at the end of all of this, I just want to say thank you. It's people like you who inspired me to work harder during these past 4 years. You inspired me to work harder so that I could prove you wrong and turn back to you in moments like this and laugh. So thanks for trying to tell me that I couldn't do it, but guess what? I did.

Love,

The College Graduate