Finishing the Race

I graduate May 16th, 2015!

Reality has set in. I knew it would, and I wanted to be ready when it did. When my friend approached me at meeting Monday night to see if I'd checked the graduation schedule that had been posted on Howdy, it hit me: this is real. This is actually happening. I graduate from Texas A&M University on May 16th, 2015 at 2:00PM. Do you want to know what's even crazier? I didn't cry. I wasn't sad. In fact, I felt the complete opposite! I was overcome with joy and gladness! 

I love college. I love Sigma Phi Lambda. I love the friendships I have made in Aggieland. They were right...you may not meet your husband in college, but you'll meet the rest of your bridesmaids! I love hearing my fellow Aggies exchange a "Howdy" as they walk across campus - whether they're saying it to students, campus visitors, or the Student Body President. I love grabbing my friends and yanking them backwards (and the occasional form tackle, of course...desperate times call for desperate measures) when somebody isn't paying attention and is INCHES away from stepping on the Texas A&M seal in Koldus, for as the story goes, if you walk on the seal, you don't graduate. Friends don't let friends step on the Texas A&M seal. I love the atmosphere - the joy, the happiness, the friendliness *flips hair as a reminder we're the happiest and friendliest campus in the nation* - but most importantly, I love the community. I love the traditions. I love the core values: excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect, and selfless service (I'll be blogging about those later). I love the "spirit that can ne'er be told" because "from the outside looking in you can't understand it, and from the inside looking out you can't explain it." I love the Aggie Family. I love everything about this place and as you've heard me say time and time again, there's absolutely NOTHING like bein' an Aggie!

I know Texas A&M does not reflect the real world (spoiler alert), but attending this university has prepared me for "life after college" more than I could have ever imagined...but I'll talk about that later on in the semester! The bottom line is, I have enjoyed every single minute of my time at Texas A&M - EVERY SINGLE MINUTE! It's been three years and I still wake up every day, grateful to be an Aggie. However, I know it doesn't end here! The best is yet to come!

Words cannot express how excited I am to discover God's purpose for my life and why he created me, Kristin Lee Koonce! I will soon be chasing after the dreams that have kept me awake at night since I was a junior in high school, and that fires me up! HOWEVER, God calls us to finish the race we started. Therefore, I will continue making the most of every minute I have left in Aggieland. I will give 110% of myself to this town, this community, and these friendships. I refuse to look back and regret not doing this, or not attending that, because, although I can't wait to put my last penny on Sully and "turn my tassel" as I dub myself a Former Student of Texas A&M University, this is where God has me right now and I am called to finish the race. I'm exactly where He wants me to be right now! I will have to remind myself daily that there is still work for me to do at Texas A&M these last few months. I'm not finished. My time isn't up just yet. So, with my traditional side-ponytail in tact and a smile on my face, I'm going to finish this race, and finish well!