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Senior Column: Taking the next leap of faith

College is a crazy place. So much can happen in such a short period of time that when you look back on it all, you’re sort of floored at everything that you’ve done. I can say that my entire college career has been one leap of faith after another, and they’ve always proved to be the best things that could have happened.

I came to Bradley on a whim. I was an unsure high school senior, and the Academic Exploration Program seemed promising since I didn’t have to make an immediate decision. I knew a few people going here, but I still felt pretty much on my own. This was my first leap.

I met my best friend here my freshman year, along with some others who lived on my floor. I don’t know exactly how it was that this friend group came to be, but after four years, we’re all still tighter than ever. Had it not been for them, I might not have stayed.

I took my second leap of faith my freshman year, when I decided to go on a volunteer service trip with Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF). Again, I was thrown into a completely new territory, not really knowing anyone or what to expect. This changed my life. I began to get more involved with the organization, and for two of my four years, I was one of four students who led a group of 40 students across the country. Not many people can say they’ve done that, and I’m glad to have been given the opportunity.

My junior year is when I took my third leap of faith, after a friend asked me to write an article for The Scout as an off-staffer. This is where it all started, and honestly, I would not be here writing this if it was not for her—so thanks, Kelly. I continued writing and was asked to be the Assistant Voice Editor halfway through the year. The next year, I was asked if I wanted to be the Voice Editor, which I gladly accepted.

Through these connections I’d made on campus, I found opportunities left and right. My best friend told me that the Department of Communication was looking for a student worker, and I desperately needed a job, so this seemed perfect. And it truly was.

I’m not the kind of student who stays after class to shoot the breeze with professors, but working in the department gave me the opportunity to get to know all of the professors on a different level. Sue and Jamie are hands down two of my favorite people on campus, and I’m so glad to be able to have worked with them for the past two years. Essentially, I’ve adopted every professor and worker in the department as some extended family member, and if they don’t know that already, then the cat’s out of the bag now.

For a lot of people, college can seem like the best years of your life. For others, it may be the worst and hardest. I feel blessed to be able to say that my Bradley experience shaped me into the person that I am today and helped me to become a person that I actually like. I may not have been the most well-known person on campus, but I know I have made an impact on others’ lives, and at the end of the day, that’s all I can ask for.

So to all my friends, thank you for putting up with my bad jokes and weird humor. You’ve been my rock for the past four years, and I could not be more appreciative. You’re all going to do so many amazing things, and I’m glad to call you all my friends.

To my STLF family, thank you for your leadership and allowing me to reach my full potential. Keep changing lives, and be sure to keep the ‘yeah buddy’ alive.

To everyone in the Department of Communication, thank you for truly being the best of the best; it’s making leaving that much harder.

And finally, to my Scout Family, words can’t express how much you all mean to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to work with (and harass, let’s be real) for the past two years. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Scout is love; Scout is life.

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