With only two weeks left of my undergraduate career, I am overcome with every emotion; from happiness and excitement, to anxiety and fear. Champaign-Urbana has become my safe space and my home away from home.

I decorated my apartment diligently, chose my favorite coffee shops and worked at Maize Mexican Grill for the past two and a half years. It’s hard to depart from a place that has helped shape the person I am today. I have learned how hard it is earn money and the value of work. I have also learned to balance work and school. But most importantly, I have learned how to be humble and to appreciate every opportunity and person in my life.

I arrived at the University with great expectations and goals. My main goal was to major in political science, take every course to prepare for law school and after graduation, I’d be on the track to become an immigration lawyer. My plans evolved with every course I took and with every new person I met. I now want to focus on human rights laws and international conflicts. I want to learn French and Arabic in order to work with NGOs in various parts of the world. These aren’t things I had considered when I first arrived at the University of Illinois, but now it’s the path I believe is best for me.

Throughout my time at the University, I attended Quad Day, tried out for a dance team, performed at Little Urbanite and pulled all-nighters with my roommates. I ate stir-fry at PAR, worked out at the ARC and ordered Insomnia cookies. I attended a play at the Krannert Center and I have written opinions columns for The Daily Illini.

I will take all of these memories with me as I continue on with my education and career. I have enjoyed a bit of everything that the University had to offer. I was given the opportunity to have my ideas and thoughts published and learn the process of editing and publishing. These were fundamental because they taught me to interact with strangers, perform in public and taught me how to enjoy life while attending to my education and goals.

The plans I had as a freshman changed as I traveled and took courses in the religious studies department. I have had the pleasure to learn about Islamic theology, Asian mythology and Hindu goddesses. I took courses that were not part of my political science curriculum or general education requirements and it helped shape my aspirations for the future. 

I stepped out of my comfort zone and my designated path and I explored new cultures in my classrooms. I learned more about my passions and interests by not limiting myself to a strict curriculum. I can now connect interest in religion with my original passion in politics. I have learned to see the interaction of both and how to pave a new path to a career that I will enjoy.

My courses also allowed me to understand people who I had known nothing about. I had been surrounded by people that held the same ideas and culture as my own but being here I was able to expand my knowledge. This is one of the best things that I have achieved at the University. I can no longer be restricted by one idea because I was given access to so much more. I can approach a problem from many angles and try to put my biases aside in order to provide the best outcome.

Although I won’t miss the grueling study sessions during finals week or the anxiety before an exam, I will miss the satisfaction of turning in a research paper and the excitement of starting a new course.

I am happy to have been able to attend the University of Illinois because it offered me many resources that helped me arrive at this final semester and ultimately graduate. The Access and Achievement Program in the College of LAS and the deans were always available to provide guidance. My professors advised me when I needed to find internships or figure out what graduate school programs best suited me. 

My experience in Champaign-Urbana has prepared me to encounter any future endeavors and challenges.

Agueda is a senior in LAS.

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