Graduation is right around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited. I feel such a great sense of accomplishment because I’m the first person to graduate from college in my family. From now on my younger cousins will be expected to do the same. I love being their role model because it makes me want to do better.

I also love that most of my family members look up to me. It means I must be doing something right. I’m a very family-oriented person, so knowing that they’re proud of me is priceless. It just goes to show that having a great support system is an excellent source of motivation. However, I also know that not having one can sometimes even be more of a motivation. In the past, both professors and advisers had told me that I couldn’t do a certain thing – but that only made me want to do it even more so that I could prove them wrong.

There’s no such thing as I can’t – if there’s a WANT, you’ll find a way.

Congratulations to the class of 2013. You’ve accomplished your goal of graduating college, but it’s not over. This is a new beginning. This is where it all starts and where you strive to be the successful person you’ve worked so very hard to be. You and I have entered the real world. There’s no more “When I grow up I want to be _____, because we finally are “grown up”. So go be what you want to be. Be successful!

-Erica