APU Blogs

well it is official.  i received my cap and gown.  my rain tickets.  and well,

graduation is this saturday.  :)

i can't believe how fast these past three years have gone by!  i relate to the freshman girls in my d-group so much, just where they are at and the emotions they are feeling towards the conclusion of their first year of college, and yet, i'm graduating!  what a strange feeling.  it's definitely bitter-sweet.  and as weird as it sounds, i'm back to where i was senior year of high school, sad to be leaving friends, and yet excited for new opportunities and experiences ahead.  i have made some amazing friends these past three years and it will be really hard to see a lot of them head off to new places and to leave some of them here in california.  i will definitely miss a lot of things about being at this university.  one of my friends finished his senior capstone project a couple of weeks ago and it was a film documenting his four years of college.  he showed it last week on campus and it was so interesting to hear the insights people had to offer about their college experience and what they have learned, what they are going to miss, what they are planning on next.  i was interviewed for the film and my one quote that made the movie was that in college, you can pretty much "do whatever, whenever".  it sounded slightly less intelligent than i thought it would but i think it is true.  college has been such a blessing in that sense.  if you want to get coffee with someone, you can, no matter what time it is.  if you want to drive to the beach at midnight just to run in and run out, well no one is stopping you.  college is funny like that.  there aren't a lot of people telling you what to do and when to do it, instead there is just this incredible support group encouraging you to live your life, have fun, experience things, invest in people, be crazy, learn, laugh, go at your own pace.  college has been such a learning and growing experience.  i look at the people around me and i can see the ways they have grown these past three years.  everyone comes into this journey with something to learn, something to take away, whether it is new opinions, new passions, new dreams.  some come with a closed mind and leave with an open one.  some come feeling inadequate and leave feeling equipped.  some come seeking acceptance and they find a savior.   i have seen hearts restored and pasts forgiven.  i have seen people find themselves.  and yet here we are leaving and i feel like the process will soon start all over again.  i have learned that life is a series of experiences.  some last only a short time, some last a college career, but these experiences shape who we are.  God has unlimited plans for us, and the one He had for me at APU was incredible and it has been fulfilled.  i look forward to the next one he has for me and all of those who will be graduating with me.  and also the one he has for those whose college experience is just about to begin.