I am exactly 27 days away from graduating from UW-Whitewater at the time of writing this. That’s less than a month away and I can’t wrap my head around the fact that I will never have to do homework, worry about maintaining good grades, class projects, finals and everything else in between. After all, this is all we’ve known our entire life so, the adjustment will be drastic I suspect. However, my time at UW-W feels like it was cut short. I transferred over after earning my Associates’s degree at McHenry County College and taking a semester off. I began my time here in January of 2020 – and we all know what that year was like. 

I was only about two months into my true “college experience” when everything shut down. I was barely getting comfortable; I didn’t get to join any clubs, and I didn’t get to go to any events. The rest of the year was online and it was upsetting, to say the least. Because of my choice to go to community college first and the pandemic that followed I had a lot of my firsts as a senior. Although I am excited to be done with college, I am also leaving with a few regrets. I was so focused on preparing for after college I didn’t do some things I wish I had done. I loved the internships with the Northwest Herald, NBC Chicago and my student employment with the Royal Purple; they were great resume builders so I definitely recommend students do one or two, but also join that club and go to that event. I was only able to go to a few.

Regardless, I am leaving very happy with my choice to attend UW-Whitewater. I gained lots of knowledge thanks to some very awesome professors and mentors. I know because of them and this institution I am fully prepared to enter into my new adult life. It means a lot to me that I am the third member of my family to earn a college degree following my sister and my cousin. With my little sister currently in high school, I know I will not be the last. Maybe I can convince her to be a Warhawk when the time comes and we’ll have two Whitewater diplomas: Class of 2021 and Class of 2028.