What is your favorite memory at SMU? My favorite memory at SMU was my freshman year over Easter break when a few people in one of my classes were cooking and hosting a holiday dinner in Saint Ed’s. After dinner, we decided we were going to take a present (a giant stuffed monkey in honor of the theatre monkey program) to one of the seniors and sneak it into her room while she was gone. So somehow I found myself driving across campus with windows rolled down, blasting music, with a giant monkey in the back, and two people I had not known a month before. That to me, was what college is supposed to be like.
What are your next steps after graduation? I will be moving to the Minneapolis area, and working full time as a pet care specialist at a pet daycare. Then after settling in the new city, I plan to drop to half time with that and pursue a position in human resources at a local company.
Are there any final words you would like to share with the faculty, staff, your fellow students, etc., as you prepare to graduate? My time at SMU was unlike anything I could have predicted. There were challenges, but I was able to grow in ways I previously didn’t know possible. Along the way, I saw the world, made great friends, and overcame heartbreak. I found mentors in Gen Ed classrooms and on street corners, and supporters at every turn. Opposing that, I also faced critics, judges, and tough circumstances that almost led me to give up multiple times. Yet it brought me to graduation all the same and shaped me into the person I will be when I leave this place. So, thank you Saint Mary’s, not only for the classrooms or the hallways, but for all the people and experiences I’ll take with me.
