by Scarlett Uskyy, January 15, 2018

My time at Kendall College has come to a wrap, and with that brings a wave of emotions. Most overbearing is the feeling of accomplishment and knowing that I started something a little over two years ago, unsure of how it would play out, and here I am two years later, having passed the finish line, and still looking forward.

While looking forward, it’s impossible to not also look back and remember what the last couple of years were filled with. I grew so much during my time at Kendall College. While it may sound cliche to say, I’m not the same person now as I was going in. But how could I be? I have met so many inspirational people that taught me more than I could have ever imagined and at the same time encouraged me to always dream bigger. Cultures were brought into my life that I once knew nothing about, and I became a ‘worldly’ individual through this exposure, even though I never had the chance to study abroad as I had planned on doing. I learned to let go of the little things, because really, they’re little, and there’s usually so much more that matters. Topics such as sustainability that once held little significance to me became passions of mine as I became engulfed by information. Connections were made that will carry me through my life journey. I gained confidence in myself while surrounded by positive, successful individuals. And through all of this, one of the most important things I learned while studying at Kendall College was that I really know nothing. There is so much out there to discover, and knowledge is power.

I can say without a doubt, I changed more in the last two years than I have in any other time frame of my life. I know that more factors played into this besides college alone- I also made a move to a big city and got married! While college may have just been one factor, the fact that it was Kendall College, and not just any other college, was critical to my journey. This school is intimate, and while it may be hard to find your place in a big city like Chicago, the students and the staff at Kendall College care. They make it easy as pie to find your people and your passions.

I’m discovering that this is a strange stage in my life, and I feel as though I’m in between phases, even though I’m already at a new beginning. I’ve always felt that after graduating from college, that would be it. I’d be an adult, I’d land my dream job, and I would start living my adult life. I’d have all of the answers… well, not all of the answers, but I’m sure you get the gist of what I’m trying to say. Turns out that’s not the case. There’s still a lot more discovering to be done. I’ve decided to continue my education and go on to grad school. While I have ideas of colleges that I’d like to get into, I’m not entirely certain where I will be attending yet. I can only hope that my experiences to come will be half as fulfilling as the last two years that Kendall College gave me. Thank you Kendall College Trust for taking some restraints off of me which in return is allowing me to go further. And thank you to everyone at Kendall College for a remarkable two years that shaped me into who I am today.