“Keep your head down and follow through.”

That’s what my dad always told me. I come from an athletic family. My mom played for Missouri Southern’s tennis team and my dad and brother played golf here as well. After a year of playing softball at a junior college, I transferred here to focus on my grades. That’s all I did; my grades. I didn’t get involved with anything, and my major remained undecided until I met The Chart.

This department allowed me to travel to Paris, and write for two magazines and join our University newspaper. However, my gratitude lies in the honor of knowing some of the best people I’ve ever met.

Life is too short to not be involved. However, if you’re so involved to a point where you can’t enjoy life, that’s wrong. Involvement should keep your eye on the target. There’s a fine line between living life, and letting life live you. I always wondered what’s the point of living if you don’t feel alive. It’s all a matter of finding what makes you feel alive, and the beauty of this life is that it’s all different for all of us.

What made me feel alive was finding a place on campus that made me feel welcomed and appreciated. Because, hey, sometimes we all want to go where everybody knows your name.

Recently I lost a dear friend. It wasn’t his death that put things into perspective for me, it was his life. He lived it to the fullest, and when it was his time I’m sure he had no regrets. That’s what I want from this life, and I believe my experiences at Southern helped me find it. It was the people. The helpful ones that always tried to be there, and the other ones that made you appreciate the helpful ones. Life is way too short to be bitter or jaded. We all go through struggles, it’s just a matter of how you handle them.

So I apply what dad always said, “keep your head down and follow through.”

Which means, no matter what you’re doing, keep your goals and dreams in perspective and do it. My goal was to leave this place a little better than how I found it, and I certainly tried my best. So I thank you all for giving me a chance.