WHAT A YEAR!

It is always so weird to reflect on the college journey, especially with such a job as “ambassador” under my belt. It has been a privilege and honor to share my insights and personal testimonies to those of you reading. While the rest of the team and I are giving our final goodbyes, this one is different for me. This is the final blog I will write for the Biola ambassador team. This was my second year a part of the team—half of my college career. It is crazy to see everything that both I amd my coworkers have written about, all in hopes that we can prepare and excite you all for college.

In terms of this piece, I have no idea what to even say goodbye to as it still doesn’t feel real. Not only am I saying goodbye to this school year and this position, but I am also saying goodbye to Biola as a whole. It has been a wonderful run at this school and job. Helping with events like Biola Bound and Admitted Students Day will always hold a place in my heart. I remember the journey and stress I endured when picking a school, getting admitted, and getting prepared. To then be on the other side and be in a position to help others through that same journey is due to none other than an awesome God. It has been amazing helping students navigate this part of their lives since I was so grateful to have had other students help me.

In closing, I just wanted to say thank you! Thank you for listening to me rant and share testimonies, tips, and advice about college. Thank you for checking in with us on Instagram and tuning in to the cool things we were up to here on campus! As I say goodbye to you all and to my coworkers, I am remembering the times I had here at Biola University: as a blogger, as an ambassador, as a friend. It is hard to say goodbye to something that has given me so much. This has been a place to search my faith and make it my own. It has been a place that has given me friends I will cherish for the rest of my life. It has grown connections and built a foundation for my next steps in life.

Finally, thanks once again and forevermore. I am beyond blessed to have called Biola my home. My feelings are summed up with the word “bittersweet”. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my time at Biola. But those feelings of not wanting to leave this community of friends and Christ followers are intermingled with the readiness to start life. It is a very similar feeling to the last couple days of high school: that nervous yet excited feeling of wanting to go out and go to college. That feeling of spreading your wings, whether close to home or not, and go away from something you knew so well for the past couple years. With college, though, it feels kinda different. There’s no concrete next step, it seems. I mean sure, some people go onto get another degree, but for the most part we walk out into the world with no safety net—and that feeling is altogether exhilarating, terrifying, stress-inducing, and stress-reducing. I know probably none of that made sense, but those are the feelings I have. They may be the feelings most of us that are moving on from college have. But either way, I am excited for this next chapter in life. And I hope you are too!

Bye written in the sand