This is it. Graduation is just around the corner after one of the most challenging school years; the end is in sight.

When I first arrived at Simpson College, I was scared. I was suddenly on my own, expected to take care of myself, and was in an environment where I had to start my friend group over. I felt overwhelmed and underprepared.

During my Simpson College experience, I have changed as a person. I have had to deal with challenges, been given opportunities to lead, and learned about different cultures and beliefs outside of my own.

Simpson College has given me a space to discover myself and get outside of my comfort zone. I have had the opportunity to take classes outside of my major and discover other areas of learning.

 I was also able to travel to New York for May Term in 2018. I was nervous about the trip, but it ended up being one of the best parts of my college experience. I recommend taking a May Term trip to it to anyone that can.

I would have loved to take another trip for May Term my senior year, hopefully somewhere abroad, but unfortunately, COVID-19 made that unable to happen. Simpson still, however, allowed me to explore and discover during my college experience.

I ended up joining a sorority and becoming editor-in-chief of the Simpsonian. I feel like my experience at Simpson has helped me to improve my writing skills and become more comfortable being a leader.

While my college experience has been far from perfect, especially with COVID-19, I am happy with everything I’ve been able to accomplish.

Congratulations to the class of 2021. While this year was hard, and many opportunities were lost, we made it.