05/26/2026
Long read ahead…
This degree didn’t come easy (I still have 4 weeks technically in my last semester but graduated Saturday). We PCSd twice which means I started and ended this degree in three different states forcing myself to take multiple breaks as I navigated restarting my business and getting situated in our new homes. We went through a last minute deployment with 48 hours notice (his tenth), so many TDYs, so many shifts being extended and switched around. Family losses. Starting and ending jobs. So many sleepless nights. So many long weeks. SO MANY tears and feelings of frustration and absolute exhaustion. Failed classes. Dropped classes. But through all of that I also experienced awards, honor society, honor roll x5, a GPA I never thought possible lol, perfect grades, messages from professors who praised my creativity even when I felt like I wasn’t getting it. I have successfully restarted a business and balanced homework, editing, self promotion, a family, a job, and everything else my chaotic life includes. I made excuses but did it all anyway.
I never felt worthy or intelligent enough to ever achieve a goal like this. To know my childhood and early adulthood is to know I have never let that hold me back. But here I am. With my face on that screen and 4 weeks from conferral knowing I did it. Me. I could’ve never accomplished this amazing accomplishment without my husband constantly reassuring me and encouraging me and fighting off kids from my office so I could finish assignments lol. I could’ve never done this without my sister listening to me cry about how truly exhausted I am and tired of my insane schedule 7 days a week.
Mostly I thank me. I did this. And I’m insanely proud. As someone who’s ran a business on her own for 6 years and turned her hobby since age 15 into a thriving income I saw what I wanted, I narrowed down my goals, and I made that s**t happen. I persisted and I did it ❤️🎓
Now it’s time to get back to reading, resting-ish, and enjoying the time I get back 🤘🏽🫶🏽
