Graduation Speech: I Am Like A Second Home

The first year of college is so exhilarating; a new place, unfamiliar faces, and the promise of exciting experiences in store. It all goes by so fast, and before you know it, your freshman year has come and gone. After the excitement of it all has passed and the dust settles, reality sets in and there’s a realization that many important decisions lie ahead. Many people change their major. Others choose to transfer to a different school. Some even decide to stop going to school altogether. However, when I step back and look at my life, I realize how much I have come to love UIS over the past year and a half. Not only has Springfield become like a second home to me, but this school offers me everything I could ever ask for: an amazing education, lasting friendships, timeless memories, and all the tools that I need for a successful future. They tell you when you go to college that students change their major about

I have been fortunate enough to have opportunities to volunteer both as a member of the volleyball team and a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. As a volleyball team, we participate in the United Cerebral Palsy Telethon, where I volunteered by mailing out pledges to ask for donations on behalf of the organization. We will also be be participating in the Fight for Air Climb, which is hosted by the American Lung Association to raise awareness and garner support for individuals suffering from lung disease. Through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, I help fundraise for the Make-A-Wish foundation, as well as host Kids Night Out, an evening when children in Springfield and the surrounding areas can come together to play games, make new friends, and simply have fun. I feel that reaching out and helping those in need is not only an honor, but my duty as a student at UIS and a member of the Springfield