College Graduation Pictures

Howdy! I am taking a detour from the not so regularly scheduled European adventure post to announce that I graduated from college! Whoop! It is crazy to think after five years and three schools later I am a graduate!  I received my Bachelors in Landscape Architecture and graduated with Summa Cum Laude Latin honors.  All the hard work really paid off.  For anyone out there doubting your abilities, just know that if you believe in yourself you can do it!

I wanted to do a mixture of a college graduation picture/outfit post along with a prose style reflection on college and entering adulthood.  It’s a little different than how my posts generally are, but it was a lot of fun to write and an overall good writing exercise. Hope you enjoy! Below are the pictures which I really enjoyed how they came out.  I am not photogenic nor do I enjoy being in front of a camera so actually liking a photo of myself is a huge deal, so if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a lot of these pictures.

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The shadow of the towering football stadium looms over me as I walk across the pavement etched with years of memories.  The oak trees whisper like friends saying their goodbyes as the Spring breeze whistles through the leaves.  It is time for me to murmur my goodbye to them as well.

For five years, College and I have been inseparable friends.  Although I must admit, it was often a tumultuous relationship when hard work was overlooked and stressful disputes arose. But overall, our friendship was filled with aspiring conversations, the type you have while staring at the clouds in the boundless sky. We would discuss what successful endeavors would come to flourish in the future and where life would lead us. College was that friend that doesn’t judge you for your child like indulgences, but also helped you transition to more refined avenues of gratification. It was the type of friendship brimming with growth.

College is that friend you no longer speak with, but silently thank for all the lessons they taught you. From our relationship, I learned about things I need to improve upon, when to let go, how to emphasis on strengths, and recognize weaknesses. Most importantly, College was the compass that directed me to find my treasure chest of passion.

However, the time has come to part ways with the whimsical dreams of what the future may hold and say au revoir to the small piece of a carefree childhood we have tightly clung to.  While parting with these longtime companions is bittersweet, it means that the arrival of my distant pen pal, Adulthood, is here. I welcome my new friend with her heavy luggage.  She is misunderstood.  She tells stories that often bewilder people.  They expect her to follow a timeline, with set rules and expectations.  The truth is, however, her story isn’t one of check marks on a to-do list, but a story of becoming.  Becoming her truest self. Becoming someone who handles emotions with the grace and poise they each require. Becoming someone who apologizes when they have made mistakes, and stands tall when she believes in her choices. Her story isn’t about folding laundry or cooking dinner with palatable spices.  Her story is much more than that.

While I only know her from the postcards she sent telling me of her arrival, I am excited to learn about her essence and discover the adventures of friendship her and I will have.

I recognize, however, that before I answer the call to adventure with my new companion, I must first say goodbye and thank you to my old friend.  So as I walk past the magnificent football stadium where I’ve cheered on my dear friend College,  I too, whisper my goodbyes like the oak trees.