Thursday, July 30, 2009

I FINALLY GRADUATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can now say that it is OFFICIAL!!! I'm FINALLY finished with school!! Well, at least for right now! This past weekend we (Mom, Dad, my cousin Paulette, Sarah, and Venita) went to Chicago for my Graduation with Kaplan University! I received my Associates of Art and Science in Business Administration!!! I can not even begin to explain what a relief it is to be done! Before you play the slide shows-you'll have to mute the music at the bottom of the page.

Venita and I flew up Friday morning (everyone else came later on Friday)...when we first got there...we decided that we would go to Navy Pier and have lunch! It was amazing! Later on in the day we met up with my Mom and Dad and Paulette. Sarah came in later that night. We met them for dinner at Bennigans. It started raining right about dinner time but that didn't stop us from walking around the city. lol Here are the pictures from the first part of the trip! :)


Saturday morning was an early morning as we had to be there by 8:00 and Graduation started at 9:00! I woke up (from very little sleep) and felt very overwhelmed. I think it finally hit me that I was graduating...and at that...from a very large university. With doing classes online, although you have interaction with other students and faculty, it didn't really dawn on me what a huge university I had been apart of for the last 2 1/2 years. Kaplan University has right at 80,000 students and is considered to be one of the largest colleges there are. On this day, there were right at 500 graduates. That was a big shock for me as my high school class only had 35 students. lol It was kind of an emotional day, although I choked back some hard tears, not only because this was a HUGE day for me, but it was a milestone in my life...a milestone and goal that had now been completed. I am so thankful that my Mom and Dad, Paulette, Sarah, and Venita were able to be there for that very special day. I only wish that both my sisters and their families could have been there as well as everyone of my family and friends to celebrate that special day. But unfortunately we couldn't make that happen. But through it all, I can't complain. It was an AMAZING weekend!

I just want to say THANK YOU to every one of you that helped make it such a memorable day!! Whether you were there, the phone calls, the texts, the emails, the cards, all the comments on facebook...it has all meant SOOO much to me! I will never forget this day...this milestone in my life. Thank You for being apart of it! :)

Gradation was at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom!! And afterwards they had a reception on the East End Plaza, which is the Terrace of Lake Michigan! It was amazing! Here are some pictures from the Graduation festivities! :)



Here are the pictures from the rest of the trip! It was SO much fun!!!

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