Graduation!

Yesterday, I graduated from Saint Michael's College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. What an ending to my four years at St. Mike's!

Some of the theater majors and faculty

After several days of senior week activities, packing was hard, but I was ready for a break. The ceremonies of Baccalaureate and Commencement were exhausting! It was nice to have my parents and Grandma present for everything, though, and the many blessings given to the class of 2012 were hopeful and happy.

Our ceremony was about 2 hours long, including honorary doctorate letters being presented to 4 candidates, the master's degrees of this year being graduated, and my class's BA's and BS's graduating. Our student speaker Mike McKinney reduced many of us to tears, and was the most memorable part of the ceremony for me (besides receiving my degree, of course) though his impression on families wasn't the same. The commencement speaker was Thomas Freston, founder of MTV and activist. He gave advice and told us about his life. By the time he was at the podium, however, many of us were ready to go, and although I will go back and watch the speech again (thanks to Saint Michael's online video program) I did not relate to him very well.

Overall, it was a rewarding experience for the end of four long years. I will never forget the sheer number of people there supporting us, the cheers from family and classmates alike as each person received their diploma, and the overwhelming amount of emotions that have come this weekend. I think the bad parts-- my name mispronounced, the drunk kid sleeping next to me during the ceremony, a nasty roommate-- will fade, but the last four years and this one great weekend culminating in graduation are things I will always remember! For more pictures of graduation, check out the Burlington Free Press.

Moving out was a harder realization that the class is disbanding and will never be back in the same way. My roommates Becky and Jess have become as close as sisters, and our many friends, especially in the younger classes, spent a lot of time at our house as well. While I'm looking forward to doing what I love and not having homework to stress over, I will miss Saint Michael's: my house, the beautiful campus, my friends, the faculty, and the incredible support system. After this week (with my brother's wedding!) and the summer of work, I can't wait to see what comes next, and I can't wait for my next visit back to my second home. Many thanks to everyone who has been in my life the past four years, especially my parents and Grandma, who have been there for 4 years of college, 17 years total of education, and all 21 of my living years :)