My big kid life: Continuing the life of an adventurous "student": June 2015

PC: camwelchphotography.com

Move in day, JMAC, September 2011

Since middle school I've been writing "2015" as my anticipated college graduation date. That always seemed like a far off date until IT HAPPENED! June 6, 2015 was the day I graduated from the University of Denver. I graduated with 2 degrees (psychology and international studies), 3 minors (leadership, religious studies, and biology) and studied abroad in Vina del Mar, Chile and Florence, Italy and did it all in 4 years taking a full course load each quarter. If anyone had half the college experience I had they'd have the best time of their life. If college is the best four years of my life, well they sure were incredible!

I didn't graduate with a 4.0GPA, I don't have a job, and I'm not in a relationship. But what do I have? A passport filled with stamps from 16 countries traveled in 4 years, five thousand+ pictures, rocks from climbing 14,000 foot mountains, medals from winning ice skating competitions, journals filled with funny stories. I have waterskied in Minnesota, ice skated at Dartmouth, played lacrosse coast to coast, been on the wrong side of the bridge in St. Louis, spent full days at Disneyland, been to 5 NHL games, watched the Broncos on a sunny day, shot guns in Wyoming, white water rafted in Aspen, skied at 15 resorts. I've seen the sunrise multiple times, stargazed in the mountains, and snowshoed at midnight. I've skied the Alps and bungee jumped at the highest bungee in Latin America. I got to coach lacrosse, ice skating and Girls on the Run. I've volunteered over 500 hours for organizations in Utah and Colorado including the presidential debate and Colorado Adaptive Sports Foundation each offering unique and life altering experiences. I've tried curling and played on broomball and flag football teams.

Quandry Peak 14er, fall 2012

But what I really graduated with are friends that will last a lifetime (mom always said your college friends will be friends forever) Friends who I've spent holidays with and their families have become like my own. Friends who we've cried together with and laughed until we cried. Friends who have seen me at the ice rink on my worst days and my best. Friends who know more about me after spending 4 years with me, than people I've known a lifetime. Friends who are down to go on random drives, rollerblade to the grocery store at midnight to buy ice cream, or try out a new church on Sundays. We've shared talks on the megabed till 3am, ate entire party pails of ice cream in a week, and baked goodies for the homeless. I'm friends with the nerds, pot heads, athletes, alcoholics, outdoorsy, hipsters and everything in between and they've all been influences on my life. I've had lots of firsts in college- seeing weed (still have never tried it), stand up paddle boarding, NHL&NFL games, camping with friends instead of family, a cross country road trip. I learned that even if people make decisions that I may never want for my own life, they're still great people and have something to share with the world. People's actions don't make them a "bad" person; we're all here to pursue our own ideas of happiness. Every one of you has taught me something about myself or the world and I truly could not be more grateful! You've shown me what unconditional love looks like. I mean-I still say hi to the people I met freshman year and people still seem to want to hang out with me even after I dance like a fool and snort at my own jokes!

Friends in town, winter 2013

So thanks for the mems and the big hugs. I came to a state where climbing mountains and rafting rivers are normal weekend activities. I came to a city where there are 7 professional sports teams and Rockies tickets are $4. I came to a school were I babysit for my professors and they take me out to coffee and watch my skating shows. I came to a place where 25 students was a big class. I came to a place where it isn't a question of whether you study abroad it's a question of where you want to go. I came to a place where most of us had similar upbringings-sports, church, musical activities, traveling and working parents but we each have different enough experiences to make us unique. A school where there are students from all 50 states and 46 countries with 63% of the students not being from Colorado.

Winter Carnival 2013

Thank you to all the roommates I've had who have put up with my schedule and have helped me day in and day out (even finding my phone buried in snow at Beaver Creek), thanks to cousin Maggie for taking me out to dinners to talk about life, thanks to the figure skating team for letting me be your president, thanks to professors for caring about my success. To the countless people who came to ice skating performances, celebrated birthdays, and drove me to and from the airport thank you. Thanks for traveling with me abroad and sleeping in airports. Thank you for helping me with schoolwork and letting me cry on your shoulders. Thanks for keeping track of how many times you can make me snort in a night. Thanks to all the visitors who have come to experience my college life whether you stayed in JMAC, Nelson, Florence or Unit 3.

Mom and Dad, Rocky Mountain NP fall 2014

Most importantly thanks mom and dad. Thank you for listening to me cry on the phone when I didn't know what to study. Thanks for for writing those tuition checks every quarter. Thanks for reading and editing my papers. Thanks for the care packages full of cookie cakes and random holiday decorations. Thanks for letting me travel the world and supporting me even if I was traveling alone on sketchy trains. Thanks for encouraging me to have internships instead of babysitting during the summers. Thanks for coming to visit and taking my friends to Park Burger and Koas pizza. Thanks for opening our home and cabin to my friends who you may have never met. Thanks for cooking a Thanksgiving feast for 20 of us in Chile. Thanks for coming to national lacrosse games and my final ice skating show. I'll never forget you crying in the stands mom during my last performance knowing that you've been in ice rinks for 19 years watching your little girl perform alone on the ice. Thank you for making me a book of stories and pictures complied from dozens of friends about our journey together (best gift ever). Thanks for believing in me!

The boys, Atacama Desert fall 2013

I really hope you know how grateful I am for this expensive experience. I've gotten to do more things and travel more places in four years than most people experience in a lifetime. I do realize that and hope I have made the most of opportunities that have come my way. I may not know exactly what I'm doing in this world, but I go to bed every night happy with the person I am. I wake up excited for the day and all the adventures a new day brings. This is an exciting time in my life where I have no strings attached and all the freedom I could ever want. I thank God for 4 years of learning and growing and can only pray that the next 80 years of my life is half as fun as the past 4 years. So raise a glass of water, Fireball, or champagne and toast to an unforgettable 4 years!!! Cheers