This month has probably been one of the most stressful, busiest and most rewarding months in my life. The first and second week of May I was drowning in the amount of work I was trying to complete for my last finals week of undergrad and balancing my new part time job at a think tank. At the end of the second week I was offered a full time position since an associate and friend left to do something a little more fulfilling. This opened up his position and so it was offered to me and I gladly accepted. It’s exciting to have this opportunity because the job market has been so bad, I’m lucky to have been given this offer. Unfortunately most of my friends who graduated the spring before me still do not have full time positions. Now they’re living at home and readjusting to being with their families again. I wish I could see my family more but I can’t imagine how tough it must be to go straight from living “independently” at college and then being forced to get support from your family due to a really terrible job market. Some do have part time and temporary jobs but they are extremely underemployed for the degrees they have received. The following week I spent training for my new job and spending time with my family during Senior Week which lead up to baccalaureate and commencement on May 18th.
I blew out my Muhlenberg flame that I lit as a freshman and lit the Muhlenberg Alumna flame in my heart. Even though I did not admit this to my family or my partner; but there were many tears rolling down my cheeks. Muhlenberg had been my home for the past four years and it was the place where I learned the most about myself. I worked the hardest I ever had to and I learned that no matter what happens, even a C on a paper, life simply goes on. I made close friends, joined a sisterhood and learned who would be there to support me when I struggled. Muhlenberg was also the place that my love flourished with my partner. Our relationship was tested often at Muhlenberg but we only grew stronger as the years went on. Your high school works so hard to prepare you for college academically however the biggest lessons you learn do not end up being academic ones, they are all life lessons. (Although I wish high school prepared me better academically) When I made the decision to go to Muhlenberg, family members and friends thought that I was making the wrong choice or I made it for the wrong reasons. I remember being so caught up and upset and the possibility that I was disappointing people that I cared about but it ended up being the best decision yet. I couldn’t be happier saying that Muhlenberg College is my Alma Mater.
The day of my graduation I stood so nervously in my cap which I decorated with a reminder to follow my dreams and my gown which included “I Made Good Choices” embroidered at the bottom as I waited for the procession to begin. We marched out to our seats and before I knew it I was a graduate. My name was called (incorrectly) and I walked up and received my diploma. It was over, my time at Muhlenberg had come to a close and my new life in Philadelphia will have just began.
