As a senior, I thought I would say a few things about experience I have had here at Gustavus Adolphus College.

I keep reminiscing about our time here as students and the things we have accomplished and observed.

Four years ago, each one of us made the decision to pursue a degree from Gustavus.

I am sure I am not the only one who has felt like giving up, and going home.

Honestly most days I wish I was a child, where my biggest worry was getting inside for supper before my mom started yelling at me from the kitchen.

But we got through it, and we pushed through the bad times.

Many of us came to college with high expectations, medical school, law school, etc.

But (as many have experiences) organic chemistry crushed our medical dreams.

Regardless of where you started, you worked hard and you transformed your life. This is what was needed in order for us to get out into the real world and experience adulthood.

Honestly, I believe that education is incredibly important and is one thing that no one could take away from you.

I learned this from my great grandmother Frieda.

She was born in Russia and only had a 6th grade education, so you could imagine how proud she was when my mother decided to pursue a higher education.

My family has always believed that my path to success is through college, and that so many doors will open for me from this experience.

This is what inspires hope and strength in people.

At Gustavus I have met a variety of people, some good and some bad.

But all of these have given me an inspiration to work harder for myself.

Honestly, I didn’t believe my mom when she said that in the long run high school friends wouldn’t be as important as I thought, and that college friends would be friends for life.

But she was so right, and I cannot imagine my life without the people I have met at Gustavus and through my collegiate involvements.

I loved seeing us grow over time, as we are so different than the day we moved into co-ed, not knowing anyone and dreading the lack of AC in the dorms.

But though the heat and unknown surroundings we built everlasting friendships.

I am so proud to say that today, we have all grown.

We are very different from the people that we were when we first got here.

I came here as someone who had little knowledge or understanding of diversity, whether that be sexuality, race, or culture.

And I want to show my appreciation to all the people who helped me realize and understand that diversity is a beautiful aspect of human life.

By realizing that we all have differences, but none of them make us so different, we will grow as a society.

We should all be proud of the risks we have taken, and the cultural exchanges we have shared.Something I often think of, and people ask me, is what I will do after graduation.

To be honest, I don’t know.

Some people have jobs lined up, others are going to graduate school and others, like myself, have no idea.

To be honest I don’t even know what I will do tomorrow, little know for the rest of my life.

I know what my passions are, as I’m sure many people do, but I don’t know where those passions will take me but yet I know I can achieve greatness.

My degree in Exercise Physiology has changed my life, I still hate to exercise, but I now know amazing things about the human body and what I can do to live longer and healthier.

Honestly no matter what you decide to do you should celebrate your life long success.

Think of those who helped you get to where you are today and really appreciate them.

My family has always believed that my path to success is through college, and that so many doors will open for me from this experience.

Thank your parents, family, friends, professors, and academic advisors who have shown us support over the years.

Maybe in our 30-year reunion we won’t remember class specifics, like certain formulas or the Bruce protocol, but we will remember the stories and laughs that we had on a daily basis, and how much those meant to us.

These memories will help us create a lifelong difference, that will help us get through life challenges.

I cannot promise an easy life after Gustavus or that life will be the same for everyone.

But we all need to keep pushing through and realize that life is a great gift, and we need to treat it as one.

So, congratulations to those are graduating, and keep your heads up high because we have overcome all the challenges we were faced with over the past four years.

Although this is the end of our life at Gustavus, our life is truly beginning.

I encourage everyone to live their lives to the fullest, and to always appreciate the memories you held here at Gustavus.

To end with some lyrics to one of my favorite songs “Here’s to us.

Here’s to love, all the times that we messed up.

Here’s to you, fill the glass.

Cause the last few days have kicked our ass, so let’s give them hell, and wish everybody well.
Here’s to us.”

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2018.