Graduation Weekend Snapshots

Happy Wednesday people!! It has officially been 5 days since I graduated college, and today is the first day I’ve been able to catch my breath to process the huge life event that is graduation weekend. I have lots of post-grad content coming to the blog in the next couple of weeks, but before then, I thought I’d share some photos from the weekend. Feel free to click to another article if you could care less about my graduation/don’t want to read my gushy captions about friends and family. But for all of the people who have been supporting me, from near or far, through my journey at SCAD, this one’s for you.

Even though my hair is poofing to an unnecessary volume (thank u, Savannah humidity), I love this picture. This was moments after I graduated, my brother snapped this photo of me, and I love that you can see my dad smiling in the background. Throughout my 4 years in college (and honestly my whole life), my father has been a consistent encourager. Fun fact: I wanted to drop out of SCAD after the first quarter. It was hard, I hadn’t made many friends, and I felt like I wasn’t good enough to attend a school filled with such talented students. My dad is the one who encouraged me to stick it out. I remember sitting down with him in our kitchen, sobbing, telling him that I didn’t belong there. He didn’t argue with me, he didn’t question my feelings. He simply asked, “Do you want to transfer because there is a better school that offers your major? Because if so, I will totally support that transition.”

I thought about his question for a while before replying, “no.”

He continued. “Or do you want to transfer because moving away from home is really hard, you’re stressed out because you’re learning things you aren’t good at yet, and you are craving the comfort of familiarity?”

Damn. He hit that one right on the nail. I started crying even more because all of those things were true, and I didn’t feel strong enough to overcome them.

He took my hand, and gently said to me through the tears that any new place I move to will be hard. At times I’ll feel homesick, wherever I am, and that’s natural. Learning new things will always feel uncomfortable at first– that doesn’t mean I’m not on my way to mastering a skill. Leaving a school that offers exactly what I want to do, offering me amazing resources to get to my career, all because of those little factors that will follow me no matter what school I transfer to, is not a good enough reason to quit.

Life will be hard anywhere, guaranteed. Might as well stay where I am getting the best education for my major.

Long story long, my dad, since that first quarter at SCAD, stood behind me, supporting, encouraging, and cheering me on.

 

My ladies!! My sis-in-law, Lauren and my beautiful mother. I can’t tell you how many times I Facetimed them to lament/gush/share all the feelings always. Lauren has talked me through some of the hardest decisions/situations I’ve had to deal with, supporting me with her wisdom, and being the older sister I never had. My mom took on full-time work for the first time in her career when I went off to college in order to help pay for my tuition. She has continued work her butt off just so she can see me succeed at my dream school. Oh, and did I mention that even when she’s working full-time everyday, she still manages to pick up my needy ass on Facetime multiple times a day?? I don’t know how she does it.

They have constantly supported me through all my college milestones, and I def wouldn’t have made it to graduation without them.

 When all your hard work for the past 16 years of school finally pays off and your face can’t hide the excitement.

MY. GIRL. Chloe and I were randomly assigned to be suite-mates freshman year. We used to sit in the dining hall for hours on end eating shitty food and avoiding our tiny dorm that was in a constant state of disaster. Those long dining hall dinners sparked the sweetest friendship, and four years later, she is one of my closest friends. We have both grown so much in our time at SCAD. Through all of the changes 4 years brought, I’m glad she was, and still is, my constant. 100% would not have made it through SCAD without her love, support, and friendship.

MY HOMEGIRL. Sarah and I met fall quarter of senior year and quickly became bffs. We bonded over our love of New Girl (she literally just texted me a New Girl reference as I write this). We spent countless nights watching our shows (Riverdale and Jane the Virgin, to name a few), drinking wine (she always stocked her house with white for me, even though she prefers red), and laughing over stupid Youtube videos (honestly, why is Jojo Siwa so agressive?? Still having nightmares about her). Sarah would always take care of me when I was stressed or didn’t feel well, and in the last month of college, helped me stay positive amongst the anxiety I felt about the future. She always shows me how to look on the bright side of things, and even when I can’t, she is there to make me chicken nuggets and pour me a glass of wine. Wouldn’t have made it through senior year without her!

 

Say hello to the most supportive brother out there!! Let’s be real, since I was born, Taylor has been obsessed with me. He LOVES his baby sister. We used to do absolutely everything together as kids, and grew up to be the closest of friends. When I went through a terrible breakup and was emotionally unstable (to put it lightly), he and Lauren took me in, no questions asked, and let me live in their house all summer. They cared for me, loved on me, cooked for me, planned fun outings with me, and most of all, were there to comfort me in my time of heartbreak. That’s just a snapshot of how my brother is always willing to go the extra mile to support me. He’s the most protective, loving, tender-hearted, intelligent, and goofy person, and I wouldn’t have been able to get through my time at SCAD without him.

Thankful for family who encourage my wildest dreams!

Repping my bee earrings in honor of SCAD’s mascot!

Graduation weekend was emotional, celebratory, sweaty (one of the hottest weekends yet in Savannah since I moved there), and a weekend I will never forget. Thank you for all of the people who have supported me throughout my journey at SCAD. We did it!