I was the first in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and last weekend I became the first in my family to graduate with my master’s degree. I never thought I’d have my master’s degree by the time I was 25 but I’m so happy and proud that I do. It’s been a long road to get here but I’ve had a lot of support along the way.
This degree was a bit different for me because it was my own choosing. My B.A. was too, but I felt like that was more of an expectation whereas this degree was just for me, something I wanted for my future, my career, and just because I could. It was something extra.
When I was ordering my gown there was an option to purchase a stole of gratitude. While I partially think this is just to suck more money out of the already broke students, it really is a great theory. The stole is to be warn during the ceremony and then written on and given to someone who assisted the student along the way. I put in the long nights, the hours of studying, and sat through a five hour night class for weeks. But, nothing is ever really done alone and I’d like to take this opportunity for my blog of gratitude (much cheaper than the stole!).
The past three semesters have been a bit hectic and were quite a balancing act. There were times I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the semester and I figured if I did my sanity would be lost along the way. There were times I wanted to quit but I just couldn’t because that’s not how I roll! I knew I wouldn’t be happy with myself if I didn’t give it my all so I did and somehow I made it! My crazy organization skills and love of list making came in handy keeping me focused. I’m also super lucky to have such supportive people in my life who were rooting for me!
Many nights when I was too tired to do anything else, Mr. C has gotten lunches ready for the next day or finished the laundry so I didn’t have to wait up for it. I’ve appreciated this even more because he’s also working a full-time job, tutoring on the side, and is currently a student as well. He’s a great listener and got plenty of practice over the last year or so when multiple things were stressing me out and I’d need to vent or just ramble which is my standard. He made me make time for fun and even helped with my minimal procrastination. He’s a pretty great husband and I’m sure I don’t say that enough!
My friend Ms. M was one of my greatest cheerleaders, encouraging me to pursue my dreams, never dismissing my crazy ideas as “crazy” and attempting to help me decipher my stats book when I just wanted to give up (which was too often this semester). Sometimes it was just nice to know that the statistics problem really wasn’t solvable and it wasn’t just me! She’s been a great reminder of what a true friend looks like and I’m so grateful for that.
My parents have encouraged me in their own way. My dad made sure to ask me how my grades were and I was proud when I reported back. My mom cheered me on when I was tired, stressed, and taking on too much. I’d occasionally shoot down her ideas but she has some good ones now and then. I don’t think either one of them had a clue what my actual degree was until the last semester but I THINK they have it down now. They flew out for my graduation and my dad even let me take a picture with him. That’s a miracle in itself! My mom, like Mr. C., did a lot of listening to my rambling and that probably deserves an award.
I appreciated the congratulatory calls, emails, cards, and FB posts too. Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate and put up with my flakiness during the past year and a half!
I’m now looking forward to having some spare time to focus on all the goals that got pushed to the side while I was focusing on school. Scrapbooking, reading my tons of unread books, using my millions of cookbooks, working out, taking walks with the puppy, and spending a Saturday simply playing games and watching TV on the couch (yes, I understand this does not fit well with my working out goal) are at the top of my list. Well, all of this AFTER we move because I haven’t seen much spare time lately. Oh, and writing more! More posts to come soon including our super fun trip to Bearizona with super cute pics of the baby bears!
So, here’s to the end of the semester (specifically that horrible stats class!), the earning of my degree, and the wonderful support I had along the way.
Mrs. C., M.Ed.
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