Here I am, currently one week away, graduating from college. Graduating from the best four years of my life. The end of a journey, the end of an era and unquestionably some of the greatest memories.

As the chapter comes to an end, I continually reminisce about the past four years and what I have learned during this time. The more I think about it, the more I realize it is not what I have learned in class or from my professors, but it is what I have taught myself. I like to think college is the time to self-educate ourselves.

College has molded me into a completely different person than I was four years ago. I gained more knowledge and information outside the classroom than from the textbooks we were required to buy.

So were the thousands of dollars for tuition and a degree worth it? Of course. I did learn concrete information such as the four P’s of marketing and the mathematical equation to forecast inventory. But will this really help me succeed in the real world? Probably not.

It is the social skills I gained, the lessons I learned by making mistakes and the insight I have endured by observing others around me that will help me become successful. The relationships I formed and the friends I have encountered have helped me grow. There are people I have met in college who taught me more about myself than I knew possible.

I found out what kind of people I want to surround myself with -- genuine humans who are supportive and positive. Friends who have helped me through the darkest moments and have provided me with the best of times.

There are feats I have accomplished in these past four years I did not imagine were possible. Goals I set for myself that I thought I would not be capable of achieving, but I learned if you put your mind to it, anything is possible. It may not be easy, but it is certainly possible.

Outside of the classroom, I discovered who I want to become, what is important to me and where I want to be. I also discovered what I am passionate about and where my interests lie in life.

College is not all about “getting the grades,” I believe it is about finding yourself. It is four years to find out what you love and what makes your existence on this Earth worth while. At the end of the day, yes I graduated, and yes I got the grades, but if I did not educate myself outside of the classroom I would have not succeeded.