This is It...

It’s hard to believe that in a few short hours I will be a WKU alumnus. The last few days have been filled with emotions, memories, and stories to tell. It has all culminated into today…my graduation from Western Kentucky University, with a double major bachelor of arts in history and social studies.

The last few days in Werne were bittersweet. Saying goodbye to my host family and the students and teachers of Anne-Frank Gymnasium was much more difficult than I thought it would be. In the few short weeks that I was able to step into their lives, I feel a mutual respect and love was developed. I can’t even imagine the difficulty of trying to leave after a few months or a year, so perhaps three weeks was the best amount of time to stay. I was able to make some great friends, meet some wonderful colleagues, and be part of an international family. These are contacts that I hope to stay in touch with all of my life.

The student teachers did get an unexpected amount of extra time together as our flight home to Nashville from Newark was cancelled; causing us to spend the night in the airport. We once again huddled up in a section of a terminal to spend one last night together. Although it was very inconvenient on our time schedule, I’m glad that I was able to spend some more time with the people I had come to know so well over the past few weeks. We left Kentucky as strangers and came back as the Class of 2014 Germany Student Teachers. I hope that I will be able to stay in contact with most of these great people as well, even when our paths eventually go in other directions. We were able to make the memories of a lifetime together, and that is something I will always treasure.

So this is it. My last blog post for this journey in my life. I have grown in the short few weeks that I was able to study and travel abroad. I have broadened my horizons in knowledge, cultures, and relationships in the short amount of time I was away. Now, its time to prepare myself for the real world. These last few years of college have helped me to develop into a teacher that I didn’t even know I was capable of being. I hope that I am able to have an opportunity to find a job in a school system soon, and to be able to begin my career with all the knowledge and experience I have gained. The Bible verse Romans 8:28 is on my heart today. I feel that I have been lead to this career, and I have the opportunity to impact children and be able to help and support them as they continue on the journey that I am just now finishing. Thank you to all the readers who took time to read this blog…and GO TOPPERS!

Romans 8:28 - “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”