One more year

I have had the most amazing three years at UIW. The thought of graduating from college had never crossed my mind until last year. I am the youngest and also the first in my family to accomplish this. The true value in this is that my experience has been life changing. I set out for college without love for anyone including myself. I could barely imagine a world outside of my own desires, and the notion of giving back to this world was not only non-existent, I could careless what happened to it. Today I stand with faith in something bigger than myself and I love the worst of people. My view of this world is one of hope and the lens I view it through has been purged of selfishness( to a great extent).

My most valuable asset in life is intangible and like many things it was gained through the guidance of those I have come to call family at UIW. Some of those people have moved on to bigger and better things, others still remain a crucial part of my life today. I can even imagine heading into my final year that more will be added. This thing I refer to is my faith.

Faith has challenged me to live a life without fear. I face that challenge every morning when I wake up. I allow all that has been to reside in my heart not as a burden but as a compass for the present. The future is not certain but I have faith that it is full of substance that will keep me longing to pursue all that is good and avoid those things that keep us shackled.

My faith has leaked into every aspect of my life. In areas that once brought strife and self destruction I have seen a miracle. My relationship with my family was horrible to say the least. I gave my parents many reasons to doubt my honesty. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to have fun with my friends, not helping out around the house, and not showing the respect they deserved as loving and caring parents.

Now that I'm older I really do appreciate the sacrifice they made for us. The lesson I took away from this is that we must love those around us while we have the chance. Even when they get on your nerves.

As I reflect on all of my experiences I am reminded of how blessed I am to be at the end of one of my life's most important journeys. This journey has set me in a direction with paths that offer a life to be happy about.