Sizzling In the Frying Pan

While typing out this title I thought, "I coulda named this 'The Continuous Roast'" and still kept the essence of where I'm going with this.

My road to graduation, if it looked like a recipe, included the following unconventional ingredients:

• 48 credits in 1 year

• 3 semesters doing 7 courses

• being broke

• fighting anxiety

• "managing" parents

• self-searching

• reflection on my younger self

• the passing of my grandmothers

• struggling with time management

• rebuking nuisance opinions

• talking myself out of quitting my internship a couple times on

• looking for some sense of stability in spite of life's changes

• sacrificing personal space for 4 years

• keeping my corner to remain respectful

• being totally exhausted

I'm sure many of the Class of 2019 can relate, and most probably can add a dash of some other things which were overcome to realize the icing on our cake - walking across the commencement stage.

It's been tough. Going through college was a trip and required a higher expectation of self - to learn, commit and see things through. Many times situations did not look like what I idealistically wanted it to look like, but the show had to go on.

The real sweet part is actually pressing on and overcoming circumstances that can all too often seem like a never-ending saga. A temptation is to internalize passing feelings, forgetting that some things are just... for a moment. It's been important, and a struggle, to keep perspective and to manage myself, to self-discipline - especially when there were many sleepless nights.

I cannot emphasize enough the important part - that we have moments; moments of crying, feeling overwhelmed and feeling like we just aren't strong enough. But it's helpful to remember that as babies we fell a couple of times when we were trying to walk. As kids we got many answers wrong on our way to learning, and that in this same way, we go through a couple of unsavory emotions to be better for ourselves and other people. If we never had our "moments" to overcome, the YOU that you meet at the end would never be a reality; always give that experienced, resilient person a chance.

As we all graduate, class of 2019, here's to us!