Now, I myself am not an over emotional person. And I do not like to admit or show otherwise. However, I will admit that as my last semester before going on the grand adventure of student teaching ends it is sad. The years I have spent here at Northern have been the best years of my life so far. I have had so many opportunities I never would have had if it weren't for Northern. Last year I went to Chicago for the first time with the orchestra, last month I was in Hawaii with the marching band and next month I will be heading to Colorado with our clarinet quartet. Northern has allowed me to get out of my "South Dakota" box while also doing what I love most, music. Northern has also provided me the greatest education I could have imagined. All I can say is thank you to my professors for pushing me to become the best musician and teacher I can be even if that meant making me question everything about myself. Many tears and moments of self-doubt have made me the person I am today. But, because of my professors, I pushed forward and am excited to become a teacher. It is hard to believe that next year I will be in my own classroom teaching students to be musicians. I won't have my professors to rely on when I have a question. Yes, they all assure me that I can email them but it's not the same. Saying goodbye to professors will definitely not be easy.

Another difficult part of my life that will be hard to say goodbye to is the countless music ensembles I am a part of. I have been in marching band, symphonic band, orchestra, jazz band, concert band, clarinet choir, and clarinet quartet throughout the last four years and saying goodbye to these will be extremely difficult. This is why I have taken the chance to participate in every ensemble possible because once I graduate I won't be able to do this anymore. Of course, there will be groups I can play in once I graduate but it's not the same as college. Now, have I whined and complained about these groups and the hours I've put into them? Yes. But would I trade it for anything in the world? No. I wish could have done more while at Northern and I regret not doing it.

And of all the things I am going to miss the most at college is my friends. It has truly hit me that once next semester is over there is a good chance I won't see some of my best friends again. We will graduate and all go our separate ways. When coming to Northern I never expected to make as many friends as I have. I know that no matter what they will be my life long friends but we have all grown up and have to continue our lives outside of Northern. The thought of not seeing my friends every day is hard for me to believe because we see each other every day and have spent hours together. I know that all of my friends are off for bigger and better things and I can't wait to see where we all go. I love my friends more than anything else and I am so happy that Northern brought us together.

So as the year comes to an end, all I can say is thank you, Northern, for preparing me for the real world. These years at Northern have shown me who I really am and who I want to be. I found love, I found heartache, I have found friendship and most importantly I have found myself. This semester has been full of lasts and I know I don't show my emotions about it and brush it off but at the end of the day, I am going to miss the college years. My time here isn't quite over yet so I am going to enjoy it as much as I can. So thanks again Northern.