Deciding to come to New England College has been one of the best decisions I have made thus far. The campus, faculty, and friends I have made here changed my life for the better. I came to NEC as a shy, quiet, timid person that was worried that she wasn’t going to make any friends. That quickly changed. I grew to be a more outspoken, bubbly, and happier person. The small community and warm environment left no room for me to hide; I became the person I have always wanted to be. I persevered through courses that almost killed me, essays that pushed my mind beyond what I thought it could handle, and a senior thesis project that almost brought me to tears. Despite those hardships, I am grateful I made it to graduation.
School has always been something I enjoyed. I was fearful that coming to college would trump that feeling and make me hate everything about it. I was wrong. The faculty here are not only educated and encouraging, but they want nothing more than for you to succeed. Faculty will talk things through with you, treat you with respect, and above all they become your friend. I have a couple of professors that I want to thank for continuously pushing me, reminding me that I can do this, never letting me give up. To Matthew Young, Geoffrey Cook, and Lori Koziol, thank you.
To all of my amazing friends and family, I owe you my deepest thanks. It is because of all of you that I can stand here and say that I will be attending Labouré College in the fall of 2019 for nursing. I am beyond excited to start my new chapter, but leaving NEC is the last thing I want to do. NEC has become my home, getting to go back after every break was something I always looked forward to. When August rolls around, I will not be coming back to Henniker and that will really take a toll on me. The surroundings, community, my job, and everything else that makes NEC will be missed. Although I have to go, I will never forget all the laughs, friendships, hardships, and memories made in the last four years.
To my fellow graduates, I think Winnie the Pooh was right when he said, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
