Wow. As I write this reflection, I am floored at how much I have done since my last reflection in May of 2022. I am a bit late in reflecting on my 2022-2023 school year, as it is now August, but I think that waiting a bit of extra time has allowed me to share some updates that will nicely wrap up my college reflections.

 

This past year has been an absolute dream come true. Shortly after I posted my 2021-2022 reflection, I flew off to Athens and studied abroad for a month. It was an extremely rewarding experience and I saw so many beautiful things. I share a lot more of the impact that Athens had on me in one of my honors reflections, but the trip was stellar from start to finish.

 

When I returned home, I moved back into the Kappa Delta house for my senior year and my final semester in my term as Vice President. I absolutely loved my experience in the KD house and my time on council - I grew so much as a leader and gained a myriad of professional skills that I know will serve me well later in life. I am proud of myself for finishing my VP term strong and transitioning the new council into their roles. I was really burnt out at the end of my first semester as VP, and I know that holding onto my momentum was a big concern for me in May of 2022. 

 

Aside from sorority life, I stepped into my senior year with a big daunting task to complete: my Classics Capstone paper. This dominated my semester academically, but I ended the course with a paper that I am extremely proud of. I knew I wanted to complete my Classics Capstone in the fall because I had one final academic goal I wanted to fulfill before graduation: studying abroad for a full semester. I was accepted to the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome in September, and I was absolutely ecstatic.

 

I left for Rome at the end of January and spent my last semester of college living on the Janiculum Hill and studying the ancient city of Rome. It was the most perfect program for a Classics major to participate in, and I learned more about Rome than I ever imagined there was to learn. I explored other parts of Europe, including Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, southern Italy and southern France, Venice, Sicily, and I even ventured back to Greece again to see some of my favorite places from 2022. I really could talk about it for forever, but to put it succinctly: it was the best semester of my life.

 

The only downside to studying abroad in the spring as a senior was that I had to miss my commencement ceremony. And while that was a bit sad, as soon as I returned home in June I reached out to my academic advisor and arranged to walk at the summer commencement ceremony in August. I am very happy to say that I walked across the stage and shook President Pinto's hand just last week on August 4th.

 

I am now entering my gap year before law school and although I am a bit scared of all the uncertainty that my life has right now, I am looking forward to a well-deserved break from school. I am excited to apply to law school and I cannot wait to see what the next few years have in store for me.

 

Although this will be my last year-in-review, I think that it feels right to end my reflections here. When I began reflecting on my time in college, I was just a 19-year old hiding in her bedroom at home because a virus just shut down the entire world. She just wanted to make new friends in college and go out and see the world. These past four years haven't been easy, but I can say with confidence that I know the 19-year old me would be so proud of the person I am now and all the dreams I made come true. I am looking forward to continuing to push for what I want and to make myself proud.