By Katherine Coble || News Editor

I never in a million years anticipated my senior year ending this way. Postponed graduation was difficult to swallow, and the anxiety of being thrown into the “real world” during such chaotic times feels very real. However, perhaps the most emotionally difficult part of the past two months has been realizing how many people I wanted to say goodbye to but didn’t get the chance. Realizing how many memories I was hoping to make, which can no longer occur. As I prepare myself to leave college behind, there are so many people I want to especially give thanks for. My time at F&M would have been so incomplete without you. Thank you to…

1. My freshman (and sophomore) roommate, Charlotte McAdams, for always making me smile and pushing me to be my best self. We’ll always have Paris, or in our case, Prague. 

2. The many professors who believed in my abilities and challenged me to work harder every day, especially Allison Kibler, Maria Mitchell, Alexis Castor, and Rachel Feldman. You have constantly inspired me to be a better writer, speaker, and human. 

3. My wonderful sisters in Kappa Delta for giving me space where I can be authentic, confident, and true to myself. I cannot imagine my F&M experience without you. 

4. My fantastic editorial staff at The College Reporter for embracing me from the first day and giving me the opportunity to share my voice in ways I never thought possible. I hope to see you all again on the second floor of College Center someday. 

5. Ali Jenicek and the rest of the Office for International & Off-Campus Study. My year spent abroad was one of the greatest highlights of my F&M career and I am so grateful for the time I spent in Athens and Oxford.

6. The entire Classics department for being a space of pure joyous energy. I truly stumbled into this major by accident, and it has made all the difference. 

7. The History department for pushing me to explore my interests in new and exciting ways. The world is so rich and vibrant through a history major’s eyes. 

8. Everyone who ever swiped me at Blue Line.

9. Everyone who ever studied with me in Shad. 

10. Everyone – and there are so, so many – who made my F&M experience special in big ways and small, whether it be a smile on the way to class or a heartfelt conversation. I love you, I miss you already, and you are what made F&M feel like home. 

By TCR