.:Mariah's Journey to Graduation:.

Someone asked me the other day how I’ve changed since being a freshman in college. Looking back, I was a bit clueless, somewhat careless and definitely major-less...I guess their question should have been: "How haven’t you changed?!" 

College started off a bit rocky for me. A month into my first semester at UWO, my mom called to tell me she was leaving my stepdad. It seems like last night I was walking around campus, consoling my stepdad for hours on the phone. 

But I turned to school for distraction. I’ve always enjoyed my English classes but it wasn’t until one professor urged me to “pursue my flair for writing” that I toyed with the thought of making a career out of it.

Then in the summer of 2007, my stepdad died unexpectedly. My life did an instant 180, as did my priorities; I was bordering on withdrawing from UW Oshkosh to return home and help take care of my four younger siblings. Unable to continue concentrating on his studies, my younger brother didn’t graduate from high school. It was a really scary time for all of us. However, I knew those kids were lacking role models and needed an older sister to look up to. I also knew that meant staying in school, despite the circumstances.

I didn’t know if there was any “right” way to cope with tragedy-I still don’t. So I just wrote. A lot. In retrospect, I think maybe Kevin’s death inadvertently lead me to major in Journalism.

I learned life is not something to be taken for granted. So I began looking into fulfilling something I’d always dreamed of doing: studying abroad. The following fall, I traveled to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand, where I lived in a village, went surfing, bungee-jumping, sailing, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, swam through a waterfall and so much more. Perhaps the aspect I value most from that trip are the relationships I gained.

It would seem as if I have this newfound craving for “trying new things” because a year after my study abroad, I decided I’d compete for Miss Oshkosh 2010. I had 0 pageant experience but I figured I’d give it a go! I only wanted my little sister to be in the audience. I wanted to show her although things can go so wrong for so long, there are always things to look forward to. (I ended up winning 1st Runner Up!)

This school and this community has had an astounding impact on my ability to cope with my family tragedy. My professors, advisers, friends and classmates inspire me every day. I truly cannot imagine what my life would be like had I made that one decision to not continue studying. It’s been rewarding, chaotic, exciting, challenging and emotional...but that’s life, right?!

Yesterday my brother called me to tell me he, too, was applying for college. I couldn’t help but smile.