Here's To Mary Washington
A little over four years ago, I made the decision to continue my education at the University of Mary Washington. Living about a half hour away from campus and having had two siblings go to university out of state, I was NOT excited about being so close to home. However, out of all of the colleges I applied to, UMW had everything I was looking for. To this day, choosing UMW has been the best decision I've ever made.
At UMW, I discovered my passion for fashion, social media marketing, and travel. I enjoyed all of my classes, professors, and being apart of the sideline and competitive cheer team. However, there is one thing I am most thankful for that only the University of Mary Washington could give me: my family away from home. I would not have the friends I have today if it weren't for choosing this school. My friends have been there for me through thick and thin, and have seen me at my best and worst throughout my college career. I am so thankful to have met all of them, and I can not wait to see where life takes them.
I not only wanted to dedicate this post to UMW, but to them as well. Below are little paragraphs to each of the girls who have made such a huge impact in my life.
To Tara: For being a sister to me, and constantly being down to do anything with me. Whether it's going to Castig's last minute or just coming over to watch a movie and eat Chinese food. Thank you for always being goofy with me, and constantly being there for me. I will always be thankful for Coach Kelsey putting us together to stunt that first practice. From then on out, our bond has never been broken.
To Tianni: For being that spunky friend that always puts me in a good mood and a smile on my face. For coming to pick me up when one of us was stressed out, and taking a mini shopping trip somewhere. For always listening to me when I just needed to vent. It's crazy how we knew each other all four years, and yet senior year is what made us closer than ever. I am so thankful for cheer bringing us together, and for our HCC dates starting our amazing friendship.
To Chris: For being the best twin a girl could ask for! I just want to thank UMW registrar, professors, and fellow students for constantly mixing us up. Without them, we would never have gotten to see just how alike we are. You are the one friend that still gets excited when "Africa" by Toto plays! I am so grateful for our friendship, and I am going to miss our tea sessions at Blackstone every morning, but soon it will be upgraded to a cafe in Paris when you come visit!
To Emily: For loving Taylor Swift as much as me to the point where we had to go to a quiet space in Brock's to listen to her new single! So blessed that our major brought us closer to one another. I don't think I'll miss stressing over assignments together. I always love our talks that we have, and the many lunch dates we go on!
To Lisa: For being my oldest friend at UMW, and for constantly having the longest catching up dates ever known. You are the one friend who has been through it all with me, and I am forever thankful that you and I met in Randolph hall Freshman year.
To Katie: For being the most aesthetically pleasing person I know! Thank you for always wanting to try something new with me, and for already planning your visit to France (We love a good planner!)! Your friendship to me means so much, and I definitely could see ourselves running into one another while traveling the world! Here's to many more adventures!
To Alexis: For being a new friend that taught me so much in so little time. For teaching me how to do my make up, and constantly boosting my confidence when I'd try it out for myself. From having talks in Blackstone that were serious to just decoding our horoscopes, I will always be grateful that cheer brought me to you. I can not wait for you to be on the same continent as me in Spring, and to take on Europe together!
To Jessie: For always being sarcastic and funny with all of us! I'm not sure how you dealt with us all! You definitely kept us in shape senior year. I'm grateful to have gotten to be next door neighbors with you in Westmoreland hall Freshman year, and that we kept in touch throughout our four years together!
To Taylor and Amanda: For being such great friends and coaches to me. I love all of our times together (from going out to Bourbon or staying in and drinking wine). You two are the best listeners and influencers to me and so many other girls on the team, and I am grateful to not only have been a teammate with you both, but having two big sisters at UMW (Three - I can't forget about Elizabeth)! You both are going to do such great things in life, and I can not wait to see it all take place.
To Rosie and Kelly: For being such loving and carefree roomies! Rosie, I'll miss our night drives that we always took when we stressed out. Kelly, I'll miss our goofy dad jokes that we made to one another!
To UMW Cheer: To everyone I cheered with, thank you for always being like a family to me. You each taught me something, whether it was cheer related or an important take on life. I'm grateful that I was brave enough to try something new, and stuck with it all four years! I'll miss our crazy bonding events and the times we all had together. It was a pleasure cheering with you all!
If you and I are friends and weren't mentioned above, you still mean more than you know to me! I love you all!
When looking back at the memories I've made I'm not going to be looking at the ongoing hours spent at the HCC or Library, but at the people I was with to help make time pass faster. I'm not going to look back at how gross Brock's really was, but remember how much fun I had with all of my girlfriends every Thursday night. I learned more than just academics at UMW, and with that I can take those lessons with me everywhere I go. Thank you UMW, for the best four year I could have ever asked for!Thank you for putting all of these amazing people in my life. I am grateful for all of the memories we made together, and for everything that this school brought me. Although I do not know when my next return will be, I know I'll be seeing these people throughout the course of my life. Here's to Mary Washington, because my love will truly never die for it. I'll be seeing you soon! And for one last time, Get Dirty Go Wash!
