Looking back if someone were to tell me that I would be graduating from New England College in just three years, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. Yet here I am, preparing to soon walk across the platform to receive my Health Science degree with a Chemistry minor.
Life is unexpected, and beautiful all the same. These past three years most definitely have not been easy. There have been many times and instances in which I wanted to give up and I almost did, but my ambition and drive to do great things and prove it to myself kept me moving forward. Here at NEC, I have had many wonderful mentors, professors, and peers that have helped me along my journey. I never thought that I would be graduating with a Chemistry minor, but a very influential professor here at NEC pushed me to step outside my comfort zone and strive for what I never thought I could accomplish. This professor took the time to help me work through my weaknesses, adapt better studying habits and succeed in classes that I never would have saw myself taking, never mind doing well in. I have also been fortunate enough to had an amazing advisor who was also my professor for many classes. She was supportive in directing me in choosing classes but also in navigating my future life plans as well. Working with this professor on my senior thesis project as well as working to get a genome sequence paper published were just a few of the many influential academic adventures that I pursued here at NEC.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it was not all positive and smooth sailing throughout these past three years. I worked extremely hard and had some trying times but through it all my fellow classmates and professors kept me from straying off the path and kept me moving forward. You don’t have to move fast, you just have to keep moving forward. The biggest thing I learned throughout my years here at NEC are that your own doubts will be what keeps you from succeeding, not failure. Never give up on the fight for your future, and for your dreams. The future is anything but certain. Graduations are not just about looking forward to the future that our lives may now lead with our degrees, but a day on which we should turn back and reflect/trace our steps to see how we ended up where we are. New England College is a stepping stone in my journey and I’m so thankful for all the help that I have had along the way. Congratulations Class of 2019, we did it!
