Over this past semester, I have grown to love Austin Peay. I transferred this past semester from Saint Louis, and I can honestly say that this semester has been one for the books. I started off the semester missing Saint Louis and all of my friends there, but as the semester progressed, I started to realize that I was right where I belonged.

I have met some of the most amazing people ever this past semester, people who when you meet them you wonder “How did I ever survive without you in my life?” Erin has been that for me. We literally spend 25/8 together, not just 24/7. She has gotten me through this semester when I thought the world was falling around me, when I was running around like a chicken with me head cut off, and when I have been so exhausted I couldn’t even spell my name correctly. Erin is my person, and I can’t wait to share my life with her here at APSU and after graduating.

I have also found one of the best sisterhoods here at Austin Peay. I love my sisters in Saint Louis and was so nervous about transferring to APSU, but what I have found here is unbelievable. My sisters have been nothing but welcoming and accepting. I have also been given the opportunity to hold an executive position in ADPi here at APSU and that is something I would have never considered at SLU.

Additionally, I have been given the opportunity to lead in ways I never thought before. This past semester I was honored to be the Event Chair for Austin Peay’s inaugural Relay for Life event. I have been involved with Relay for Life since my freshman year in highschool and was even able to work on the leadership committee at SLU, but nothing can compare to the experience of planning and coordinating the event that I had this semester. Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that I have been elected as the President for next year’s Relay for Life event which is something I never expected. I would’ve never had this opportunity at SLU and is just another reminder for myself that everything happens for a reason.

Transferring is not easy, and I still miss all of my friends in Saint Louis every day. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to try. The hardest thing about transferring is putting yourself out there, being vulnerable again as if you were a freshman all over again. In the end, however, you will emerge a strong person. Transferring can be tough, but in the end, you can gain a second family.