The Home Stretch

Four years ago I felt like my college graduation day would never come, it was just a mere dream. Now, this is my reality. My final semester of college has been an absolute rollercoaster as I waited for this day. Now with having finished all of my classes, and less than two weeks until commencement, I am terrified, excited, confused, sad, and very proud.

When I stepped foot on the WPI campus four years ago, I was an 18 year old girl who had no idea what she wanted to do with her future, what she stood for, what was important to her, or what she valued. At the time I thought I had it all figured out, but looking back now that could not be more false.

I was quiet and unsure of myself. I wanted to throw up at the idea of moving away from home, away from the routine that I had kept for as long as I had remembered. I worried about everything – Would my roommates like me? Would I make any friends? Would I pass my classes? What if I couldn’t even find my classes? Would I stay with my high school boyfriend? Would I get a bid into a sorority?  – Basically anything that you can think of, I was worrying about it.

Today, I still worry a lot about what the future holds, but the questions I am asking are a bit more different. – Will I like my first job? Will I stay in touch with all of my friends? How am I ever going to pay off my student debt? Am I going to drive my parents crazy moving back home? How will I make new friends? Should I move away and start fresh? How will I ever meet my future boyfriend/husband? Will I be happy? – These are only a few things that pass through my head on a daily basis.

This comes largely from the fact that I am 100% a planner.  I love knowing what is coming next so that I can prepare for it. Unfortunately for me, this is one of the biggest and only life transitions where I have absolutely no idea what my future holds. I don’t know where I will be one year from now,  I don’t know who I will be with, and I have no idea what my life will be like.

While this is terrifying, it is also exhilarating. In the past four years, I have grown in more ways than I could have ever imaged. I’m no longer the quiet and insecure girl that I once was. I am confident and proud of who I am. I’ve learned not to worry what other people think about me, as long as I am doing something that I believe in. I’ve learned that I’m okay on my own and don’t need anyone else to be perfectly happy. I’ve learned that traveling to new places makes me feel more fulfilled than anything else (so far). I’ve learned that some people come into your life to teach you a lesson, rather than to stay for good. Most importantly, I’ve learned that God has a great plan for me and worrying isn’t going to make it surface any more quickly.

While I am sad to be saying goodbye to WPI in less than two weeks, I could not be more grateful for what the last four years have brought me or more excited for what my future holds!

xo,

Jaclyn