A Ram’s Graduation
My decision to go to Colorado State University wasn’t exactly meticulously thought out. I told my mum at the beginning of lower 6th that I wanted to go to the US for college after having lived in the UK for 5 years - can’t say I was the biggest fan of the education system! My mum began the hunt for different colleges for me to visit to see what I liked and didn’t like on a college campus. I gave her a few things to help narrow down the search; I wanted an American Football team, very little Greek Life, and mountains so I could go snowboarding. Colorado State fit all of those, unfortunately, we do have a terrible football team so the games were a little boring when we would consistently lose…
7 college applications later and I had some really good options. I settled on CSU and now 3 and a half years later, I am so thankful I did. The campus is beautiful, we get 300 days of sun a year (which cancels out some of the frigid weather), and beautiful mountains outside my door every day. It was absolutely terrifying to move halfway across the world to a totally new place, where I knew no one, and create a whole new life for myself. Yet, I couldn’t imagine having done things any differently now. There were definitely ups and downs during my time, but everything taught me a lesson and made me stronger - creating a very happy, loved person with lifelong friends. Speaking of, I made some really amazing friends who have completely changed my life. For one, this blog wouldn’t be happening without one of my favourite people. It is safe to say we are a freshmen roommate anomaly! Allison Hall produced more than one amazing friendship for me. Morgan’s Grind produced a few more, as well as Durrell's front desk, and random roommate assignments in Aggie Village. Many, many people later and I feel so lucky.
Now it’s crazy to me to think it’s all done! Never again do I have to penguin slide to class on ice, sit in the library till midnight working on a group project, do awkward icebreakers at the beginning of a semester, wait in line outside Bondi for an hour and a half, or get trapped on one side of town because of the train. Years of having my life determined by education have come to an end, and it’s a strange feeling. I’ve been waiting for this for as long as I can remember, but now that it’s over and done with, I’m going to miss it. There is a comfort in knowing that every August I am back in school and seeing the same people every day, and my friends live around the corner from me. I think one of the weirdest parts is not seeing those classmates who I’ve had classes with for years, would talk to in class, and have group projects with, every day. The regulars at Morgan’s Grind who I would see every shift, my professors who some I had 3 semesters with, and the casual acquaintances I said hi to in the plaza are all people I may not run into again. I also never know though!
Who knows where life will take me, I guess I just have to wait and find out. All I know right now is that college may be done, but I have a lot of learning and exploring left to do.
