I did it!

It’s official! I’m educated! It all flew by so fast…ALL FOUR YEARS and what an amazing ride it’s been. The final two weeks were packed with events (outside of exams) that made all of it real. I wanted to share some photos with you from those times…..This is myself (in the middle), Kerry and Celia (Director of the Horizon program), at our end of year potluck picnic, which was where we shared tons of stories about all of our adventures here on and off campus and finally had a chance to take it all in. This was the day after our last scheduled exam, the point at which we knew we had all fully accomplished our missions.Here, we are waiting to enter the chapel for the Baccalaureate ceremony, which took place on the Saturday before commencement. I thought about not going, but SO happy that I made it there. It was a beautiful conclusion to the chapter we were all about to finish.

Me and President Gray. After Baccalaureate, there was a reception at the President’s house for students and families to talk, share and take pictures of final moments.

The first picture here is the line-up for our march to fame, during which we mingled, and posed for all the cameras going off. The next set is the final walk with Diploma in hand, the look of approval from my advisor (and personal mentor), and myself, sporting my Senior Legacy ribbon and Pinnacle Honor Society ribbon and pin.

I had to include this one because it is my absolute favorite place to eat, just a few steps away from campus (where we even get a discount) and I had the pleasure of eating there with my best friend the Friday night before commencement. She said “I cannot believe it’s been four years! I should have done this with you and I would have my degree now!” Lol! Hindsight is priceless! I did want to mention that I did hear back from the Graduate program I applied to, with an acceptance and opportunities for assistantships, of which are only offered to those with a high enough GPA. I didn’t think I would pull it off, but somehow….. 

I keep telling myself “I’ll just see how things go,” but I have paid my deposit, done my FAFSA, and sent my final transcripts, so I guess it is safe to assume what direction it’s going in For now, I am still blessed with two of the jobs I have worked along the way, one of which is here on campus. It’s so great to not have to leave and it will be difficult when I do, but exciting and fulfilling all the same.

What I can leave you with, is to follow your intuition, it will take you wherever you want to go, even if you have no idea where that is

Cap and Gown…

I am just realizing that I have not gone to purchase my cap and gown yet…hmmm, I suppose that would be a wise thing, at this point. There are so many things to get done now and applying for jobs or graduate schools aren’t even on the list (although I did find the time to apply to one program). Final papers, projects, presentations and exams are the focus now. Not to mention, exit interviews, honors convocation, Pinnacle induction, picnics with all the girls and time to breathe.

Last week my Ethnobotany class spent 6 hours on Poor Mountain collecting data for the Pirate bush. So interesting and fun. This week my Zoology class is hoping for enough rain to be able to study the only salamander species that exists here on the Peaks of Otter Mountain, we just have to have quite a bit of rain to bring them out.

This weekend will serve as the final weekend for me to really put a dent in the assignments I have left, just so I am not last-minute getting them done and give myself plenty of time to study for exams. I will blog again after graduation to give you some final notes and hopefully leave you with some words of wisdom and encouragement. I can only hope that by reading this, it has sparked some desire in some, to do something different or new with their life, even if it is something small!

Halfway There…

Today marks the first day of Spring Break for me, as it begins on Monday of next week, but I don’t have a Friday class, so……Last night, my Zoology class drove to Solitude Swamp in Arcadia to look for a number of different species we’ve been learning about in class. Fun trip! We took pictures (unfortunately I don’t have access to them yet, or I would share) of everyone in their waders, headlamps, and nets, as we laughed, made notes in our field notebooks and actually caught a number of the species we were looking for. It was a great end to a really long week of mid-terms, but now I can look forward to less than 7 weeks of class when we return.

I had said before that I was not sure of my plans after graduation and I’m still on the fence. I have not had the opportunity really, to job hunt or apply for prospects, but I did get my application in to a grad school program that sounded super interesting. I will keep you posted on the outcome of that   Oh, and I did get a recommendation for (Pinnacle) an Honor Society, so I am waiting to hear if my application was approved…a lot of waiting! Lol!

I think that is all the news I have to share. It has been a struggle this semester with my continued healing crisis, but it continues to get better and I am still so grateful for my support system here at Hollins, that it makes everything worth the effort and then some. I had planned to go north for a few days over break, but better judgement has convinced me to stay put, be well, and get ahead for the last few weeks of the semester. I know after this I can celebrate however I want…and I will!!!!

Stay tuned!

The last Spring semester!

So…if you have been following, you know that I have talked about the J-term Environmental Sustainability course that was taking me to London and Wales. I regret that I was unable to go, as I got sick on the day of travel and was stayed sick the whole time. I believe everything happens for a reason and I was so grateful that the professors allowed me to continue to be a part of the group. I had started a project including all the places we were scheduled to visit, so, having done this, participating in the campus-wide J-term extravaganza and getting to write thank you notes to finalize the visits, gave me credit for the course.

Yesterday was the beginning of Spring term classes and so far I LOVE the classes I have been to. It’s all a little overwhelming at this point…to know that it’s the end of my four years here, but it also means the beginning of a new chapter in life. I have looked at Graduate schools and some possible job opportunities, but so far nothing has caught my attention. I will keep you posted on whatever wonderful thing(s) manifest in the near future. Only good things can make their way in, as long as you have made a space for them!

Merry Christmas!!!

FINALLY! Exams are done, as of yesterday and campus is very quiet. Last night was our end-of-the-year holiday Horizon party for our families. My parents even came

    

This will be the first break in three years that I am not doing an independent study and can actually “take a break.” Now it’s all baking, wrapping, celebrating a scholarship that I won for an essay contest I entered last month (completely unexpected), and packing for London in January!

Thanks for following my blog, and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!!!

Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow is the beginning of a 10-day break for Thanksgiving…Yes! We get the entire week off for the holiday Soooo looking forward to it, although I will admit that I questioned my ability to handle 3 jobs, 4 classes, and an internship, it has all worked out very well. Upon returning to campus, we will have 2 full weeks left and I have no papers left to write

Last week was the final meeting for our group going to London and Wales during J-term. It’s a wonderful group of people and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! I am also happy to report that this will be the very first holiday season break in three years that I have not had to work on an independent study or do research for a January course. Not that I ever minded (let me make that clear), but assumptions about my senior year were that of no rest and constant work…now I see that going to summer school every summer and working over my breaks, has set me up for a smooth ending. Wow! I can’t even believe it!

In a couple of weeks the Horizon department will have a holiday gathering that is just like spending time with family…well, I will just go ahead and speak for all of us by saying, we are family. It’s really hard to imagine life away from Hollins, but exciting to contemplate what will come of everything gained here.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Fall!

This week is our Fall break…can’t even believe it! Last Friday we had another Horizon Luncheon with a presentation by the Career Center. I guess in your senior year, you should actually be thinking about the afterward, although it’s hard when you are completely content where you are. The amazing thing about the Career Center, is that I have lifetime benefits after I graduate. I could return 10 years from now and take advantage of their resources and they have MANY! I don’t have much to report this time, other than, this semester has been mostly about inquiring about graduate programs and looking to see what jobs are out there in my field.

After Fall break, we have just over two weeks left in the month, of which, one of those days will be Tinker Day! You can read all about the tradition of Tinker Day on the Hollins Web site

Oh, I know I have mentioned in the past, that opportunities here are abundant…I had been hoping to be in a dance production at some point because it’s what I love and a couple of weeks ago, a graduate student came to our dance class and asked if anyone wanted to be in her thesis production. I was blown away! I will admit, some personal circumstances are keeping me from participating, but my whole point in sharing that, is that, you should always ask for what you want and it will show up in a wonderful, mysterious way.