My biggest fear has always been failure, but when I graduated high school, I felt absolutely prepared to start the next chapter of my life at Bradley.
When I arrived to campus, however, failure walked up to me, shook my cocky hand, slapped my naïve face and took me for a four-year-long swing dance of college ups and downs.
I dropped a few classes, changed my major four times, picked up a minor only to set it back down, quit the speech team and a sorority, went to counseling, chugged UV Blue on the toilet seat in a frat house, had some toxic friendships and the list just gets messier.
But that failure – and this might get a little cheesy – has shaped me into a person I love, and it has made for an unforgettable college experience.
If I hadn’t had so many mid-semester crises ending in a switch of my major, I wouldn’t be headed off to a stellar marketing job in Washington D.C. – an area I’ve always wanted to live in.
If I had submitted my freshman year dorm choices in on time, I definitely wouldn’t have met my best friend Emily living in Craphole Hall, who, despite being my stark opposite, understands me like no one else #WeSurvivedWyckoff.
But mostly, my college career would have been so different if I hadn’t quit several campus organizations until I found the place where I fit in: The Scout.
I joined the family at the end of my freshman year as a wee Copy Editor with Tessa, who I’ve since been through hell and back with (V-Day was fun), and I’ve shared many other important experiences with my family throughout my years here.
My hip kid vocabulary has seriously expanded thanks to Kyle (it’s kew), and I discovered Korean soup has the ability to burn my taste buds off thanks to Tony (#RamenOrgy).
I got the chance to connect with my spiritualist self alongside Sammy the Professional Ghost Hunter, and I was able to take breaks from editing and jam out with Austin because of our shared taste in music (“Zombies on Broadway” is my new favorite album, thanks for the suggestion).
Megan has moved me with her amazing artistic skills, and Kylee has inspired me by showing off her creativity in her hairstyles (I wish I was as brave and beautiful as you boiiiiiii).
And though I’m looking toward the future, I’ve been able to spend time reminiscing on freshman year shenanigans with Alex (if I never attend another key to the fifth, I’ll be happy).
I’ve also been lucky to find an amazing friendship in Maddie, who was once someone I thought of as a cute-boy-stealing b*tch, but now I can’t thank enough for being the other (better) half of one Scout management brain — keeping me sane when things in the office got weird.
Moving forward, I’ll miss everything about this organization. From the comforting talks with Kaergard to the major slackers; from AJ downing a beer in .57 seconds to the discovery that the leader of our university is an insensitive nincompoop; and from late night short horror flicks to my ears bleeding after hearing “F*ck ya chicken strips” every five minutes in the office.
I’m so thankful I got to spend my Bradley years failing with all you weirdoes.
see ya suckers :p
