About an hour ago, I submitted my last assignment of the semester. Suddenly, I'm a second semester senior with just four class left until I earn my degree and I'm promptly shoved out of the comfort of college and into the "real world." So, as I reflect on my past seven semesters, only two words come to mind: "thank you."

Thank you to the girls of my freshman hall, the first people I met on move in day, the first girls I ever went to the dining hall with or to an off-campus party with. Thank you for helping me out of my comfort zone, for the group chats, for providing a shoulder to lean on when homesickness and stress became too much to handle. While we may not be as close as we all were before we branched out and met other people, I would certainly still not be at this school if it weren't for you.

Thank you to the professors I've loved. From Accounting 101 to The History of the Mongol Empire, I've certainly taken the long way around when it came to deciding what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Thank you for supporting me when I came to you with questions about course material or questions about life. Thank you for letting me cry in your offices when registration just became too overwhelming and when I was sure that there was no way I would pass all of my classes in a semester. Thank you for helping me to expand my mind and open myself up to new experiences and pushing me to try harder and be better.

Thank you to the professors I haven't quite seen eye-to-eye with, thank you for challenging me in every way, whether it's by telling me my writing could be better or by simply not allowing me to skip half of my classes. Thank you for saying "no" or "do better" when that is what I needed to hear. Without you, I never would have learned to question myself and be better.

Thank you to campus ministry and service. Signing up for a service learning class my freshman year was the best thing I've ever done. It's what put me in the class that would help me decide my major, and it was the first time I ever really left my safe, suburban bubble. Thank you for providing countless opportunities for me to give back to my community, for opening my mind to the world around me, and for introducing me to people from all walks of life. Thank you for introducing me to social justice and expanding my worldview, and for always inspiring me to put others before myself.

Thank you to my sorority. Thank you for turning me into a leader and shaping me into a confident and compassionate woman. Thank you for supporting me in times of sadness and celebrating with me in times of joy. Thank you for challenging me to be more involved, to work harder in each of my classes, and to never settle for "good enough." Love is not a strong enough word to describe how I feel for my sisters and my sorority. I would not be who I am without you.

Thank you to bad cafeteria food, 1 AM Domino's delivery, care packages from Mom (and my roommates' moms), Ramen noodles, and half priced nachos.

Thank you to the late nights, early mornings, 21st birthday parties, questionable punch drank from a red Solo cup, basketball games, formals, and date parties.

Thank you to Monday night margaritas, Wednesday Quizzo nights, Friday night movie marathons, and sleepy Sunday morning brunches.

Thank you to the library, the campus shuttle, and the dining hall.

Thank you, college. Thank you for the good times and the bad, the failed tests and the published research, the mistakes and the triumphs. Thank you for being the best four years of my life.