Goodbye College Classes, Hello Real World

By Allison Schroeder
Web Content Assistant Manager

This little farewell has been sitting on my brain lately. 

One minute wanting to write it, the next not even thinking I should. This is because a part of me knows that writing this equals my last article ever for KTSW, and it is a bittersweet ending. I am happy to end my time here as it means I am walking into the real world, but I am filled with the typical graduation sadness that hits when you have finally found a place for yourself.

When I imagined graduating from college, I am going to be honest, I do not know what I imagined. Maybe less stress, fewer assignments, less anxiety about the future, but here I am experiencing it all finally with (from the time I’m writing this) four days until I and my fellow College of Fine Arts and Communication students will be graduating.

Now, the first thing I need to address is that I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I have been given since I began my time here at Texas State. When I was welcomed in as a transfer student during the early beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt anxious that I would never get to step foot on campus. Then, fast forward a full year, I was finally able to be on campus my senior year.

Yes, this has been my first and last school year in San Marcos, Texas. So crazy to think, especially when you consider I am graduating a full year earlier than my original class.  

Again, yes, I was supposed to graduate with the class of 2023. And fun fact, I am a first-generation student, so you would think I would want the full four years, but I am a very eager student who likes to keep busy. It’s a blast when I see the faces of people when I tell them I am currently working three jobs (to be fair, only one is paid) and am a full-time student.

Thanks to my parents, I have learned to value education and learned what it means to be hardworking. Throughout my life, I watched them work hard for the things they wanted, and I understood from an early age how important it was for me to receive an education so I could be able to obtain a job or even enjoy the things my family worked so hard for us to be able to do.

Throughout college, I faced my fair share of struggles. I will not deny that at times I would sit in my room and break down due to the stress of assignments or work, but with the help of my family and some amazing friends, I pushed through. I recognized that despite a drawback or struggle, you can do anything you put your mind to.

Thanks to that mentality, I have been a great leader in the KTSW Social Media Department because Piper Blake and Samantha Pennell believed in me before I had even known that I could be a great leader. Thanks to Paige Greene who put me in a management position in Web Content and helping me understand the type of leadership I wanted to instill on my staff and in the future.

And big thank you to the staff and professors who have instilled their great wisdom in me during my time here at Texas State, including Dr. Judy Oskam, Lorna Stafford, Terry Bertling, and many others. 

Lastly, thank you Texas State for letting me grow into the person today. So goodbye classes, hello real world.

Featured Image by Allison Schroeder