Hey guys! I hope you all have been enjoying your vacation time so far. I cannot believe we are already a month into summer! The time has flown by. I thought I would share a story about a little trip I took right before my summer began. My sister, Rachael, studied marketing at the University of Arizona in Tucson for the last four years. Her graduation was scheduled to be on Saturday, May 11. As I was looking to book my flights, I realized that I had two challenging finals the Monday following and came to the conclusion that I could not attend her ceremony in order to prepare for my exams. My sister said that she understood and knew that my academics were of utmost importance to me. However, as the graduation was fast approaching and study days were among us, I kept getting side tracked feeling that I should attend the graduation. Ever since I was a little girl, my sister has been my role model and best friend. How could I let studying prevent me from celebrating a monumental event in her life? Just in that moment, I logged onto Southwest Airlines and booked a last minute flight to Tucson. Even though academics stand as a priority in my life, I could not let myself forget that family always comes first.
I jammed in as much study time in Doheny Library as I could in the days leading up to my departure and felt confident that I could still excel on my exams with my short trip. When Friday finally came, I made my way to LAX and boarded my flight. The whole way to Tucson I was studying my notes and cramming in as much information as I could. When the hour long flight was over, my mom came to pick me up. (Keep in mind that my sister still had no idea that I was coming to Arizona!) Shortly after, I surprised my sister at a restaurant and she was in complete shock. She ran up to me, hugged me, and started crying tears of joy. She was so happy to see me, and I knew that I had made her celebration complete.
In the day following, I was reunited with my grandparents and other extended family that I had not seen in quite some time. We all attended the graduation ceremony in the Wildcat Stadium, all so proud of Rachael and her many accomplishments. As I was sitting there listening to the speeches and watching the slide show, I began to reflect on my own time in college. Knowing how quickly just my first year had flown by, I realized that I only had three more years to take advantage of the endless opportunities at USC. My sister’s success and involvement motivates me to further immerse myself in the Trojan community. This coming year, I hope to begin broadening my horizons by participating in a research project. I cannot wait to see what the next three years have in store for me! Above all, I am so glad I was able to celebrate Rachael’s endeavors at the University of Arizona!
In case you were wondering, my final exams went exceedingly well. My last minute studying on Sunday combined with the preparation prior to the trip all paid off. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer! Fight on!
