"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind" - C.S. Lewis

Wow, its crazy to think four years ago I was getting ready to graduate highschool, and now I'm getting ready to graduate college. I look back on my four years as a student at the University of Connecticut and realize that I have accomplished many things. Going into college I was excited for a fresh start. I knew that there was going to be some challenges that I was going to have to face but I was ready to do it. Nothing was going to stop me, even if I had to put in more work than I did in highschool.

My first semester was a challenge for me. I went through alot emotionally over the summer and I let that get in the way of my studies. But even though freshmen year was all about playing the field and trying to find out what I wanted to do, it was also a learning experience for me. I was able to find myself through my struggles and I know that not many people can say that. As freshmen year came to an end and sophomore year was right around the corner, I was prepared for another obstacle of challenges that this year might bring. I told myself that this year was going to be about me and not about what happened in the past. I was going to focus on schoolwork and myself. As a result it worked out in the end. The two semesters of sophomore year past by and I made Deans List. It was a huge accomplishment for me that I was lost for words when I found out. When I was in highschool not many of my teachers and staff thought that I was going on to college. They thought that I just needed to get through highschool and I will be set for life. But in all honesty that was not the case.

I'm not someone who just gets what they are offered and is set. I'm someone who sets high goals for myself because being successful means more to me than I can explain. All of my life I was told in school that I was never good enough to be in the smart kids class and the only class I could be in was a class for students who are not at the level of others. But when I went into college I promised myself that I was not going to let others bring me down about things such as that. Junior year was another struggle but I was not going to let that stop me from feeling successful. My first semester of senior year ended about a month ago, and going into that semester it did not feel real but I was'nt putting much thought to it until now. I am one week away from going into my last semester of college and I can honestly say that it is a feeling that cannot be described. I have come a very long way since my freshmen year and this semester leaves no excuse to end that streak. I'm going to make this semester one to remember. I'm going to finish out strong and remind myself that we can only go up from here. As bittersweet as it sounds I am ready to see what this semester has in hold for me and cannot wait to be a Graduate.