GRADUATION!

I can OFFICIALLY say that I have graduated from college! This journey has been long and hard, and there were many times where I've doubted myself entirely. In 2016, I got my Associate's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies: Social and Behavioral Sciences. I wasn't sure what route I really wanted to go with my schooling, and I lagged a lot because I was very confused, and discouraged by my lack of direction. I've never really had a clear picture in my mind of what I wanted to do, and it seemed like older I got, the further I was from understanding what called to me.

Through the courses I took to get my Associate's, there was one subject that really spoke to me...communication. For some reason, I never really considered pursuing that degree path. I wasn't aware of the jobs you could get with that degree, and I never put much thought into the idea. But then something clicked...I knew it was what I needed to pursue. I researched the market and what kinds of jobs I could obtain with a communication degree, and I finally had my "lightbulb" moment.

In February of 2017 I transferred over to Colorado State University- Global Campus. I'm not sure why I chose to do an online school (but thank god I did)...I think I appreciated the flexibility it provided students. I've always worked better on my own and on my own timeline, so online school seemed to be the right fit. And it was. Two weeks after I started, I found out I was pregnant. Wham. I was hit with fatigue, nausea, and everything in-between. I absolutely drowned in that first school term. I was hit with this huge surprise and was grasping to get my feet underneath me, while also having to focus on school. I luckily passed those classes and gained a new mindset. I wanted to get done with my degree as fast as possible. For Mila.

I looked at all the courses I had left to finish. I transferred over to CSU Global with only 62 credits out of the 120 required. I was basically entering my junior year. But I wanted to be done within a year and a half. I scheduled out my courses meticulously with my student advisor. We planned a way for me to be done within that time frame, but it wasn't going to be easy.

When I wasn't feeling sick, going to appointments, or getting the house and my life ready for Mila's arrival, I was taking an overload of courses. I had to get approved just to take as many as I wanted. I thought it was difficult to take the courses during my pregnancy and the trials and exhaustion that came with it, but I was not prepared for being a student and a new mom.

Mila came early, and luckily I had all my assignments done for that term. But then the next term started. And I was overwhelmed. No sleep, mastitis, milk supply deficits, and acclimating to motherhood took over my entire life. As life got harder, so did my courses. This all contributed to my PPD which I struggled with for months. Which also made school so much harder.

Whenever I started to give up, I just remembered why I started this journey in the first place. I wanted to get my degree for my daughter. So I organized my life and found spots where I could fit in my schoolwork. I got things done regardless of how tired or distracted I was. In March of 2018, I hit this bump in the road where I lost all hope. Everything seemed to come crashing down on me. I was struggling to keep up with all of my courses. But I held on, kept moving forward, and stayed as positive as possible.

So now, I am so proud to say that I am a college graduate, with a B.S. in Communication.

Mila, we did it.

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Graduation Trip

So we went to Colorado to go to graduation. Our flight situation is another story (yikes), but the trip itself was actually a ton of fun. We went to the Denver Aquarium on our first day there, and Mila had an amazing time. Although she likes to go to the zoo more. We were even able to eat next to a huge fish tank, and she watched them swim the entire time.

She was a super good girl during the entire graduation, and was extremely patient. It was really amazing to have Mila there when I graduated.

The altitude change really messed with our bodies, so we didn't do much else during our trip. We were extremely tired and worn out the entire time. But we still had a really amazing trip, and we made a lot of amazing memories together.