Who would’ve thought that I would be graduating college in 3 years? From having a normal freshman year, to being cut short my second year, and then to be back in person with masks after a crazy year 2020 was.

In all honesty, I’m really not supposed to be here at ACU at all. The year 2018 was probably the worst year of my life if I’m being completely honest. 

After graduating high school my parents and I were forced to move from our house because my dad has lost his job. We ended up bouncing around from hotel to hotel until we found an apartment to stay in.

It was looking pretty rough for me to be heading to college. When I had arrived for new student orientation, I wasn’t in my best state of mind because I didn’t have a home to go to. 

Fast forward to move in and Wildcat Week, I remember walking the Lunsford for the first time and just sitting at the top of the hill by Wildcat stadium and telling myself “I don’t deserve to be here.” 

Week one of classes started and that’s where I found my community of friends from cornerstone, Wildcat Week, and meeting various people at chapel.

I then remembered why I chose ACU, it was because of the community that I witnessed from when I visited in January of 2018. Now do I still talk to everyone from my freshman year? No, but I will always cherish those friendships.

Thank you ACU for letting me meet some of my best friends who I know will be in my life forever. I would love to start naming people, but I know I would get in trouble if I left someone out.

Thank you ACU for giving me a community with my ACUTV family, my Reslife family, my Optimist family, and the whole JMC department. In a time where I thought I didn’t belong and was going through a rough patch I realized why I came and that was for the community.

I’ll never forget the memories and friendships that I’ve made here and I can’t wait to visit as an alumni.

This one lyric got me through that season and I hope it can help you. “Not for a minute was I forsaken the Lord is in this.”