oregon, you truly got the best of me. Throughout the four+ years that you took me in, I was constantly learning, growing, and finding myself, again and again. I learned the value of starting somewhere new, and making it your own. I learned how to make connections, by the hundreds. I learned the true meaning of service. And friendship. I learned about love. And loss, which confirms the love itself. And I learned about myself. My spirit. My passions. My potential.

oregon took me for a wild ride, by land and snow and rivers and roads. I experienced the peaks, and I experienced the valleys. Every adventure brought me one step closer to myself. Even though I was blessed with so many adventures over the years, I still feel that there is so much more I could do in this beautiful state. That is what makes it so hard to leave, but will also make it so natural to return. 

oregon will always bring up one central emotion for me — gratitude. I have developed such a deep appreciation for so many aspects of my time here... First and foremost, for my parents supporting my decision to move here and financially supporting my education and livelihood over four incredible years. For my “other parents” who first introduced me to this place I now call home, and who never once let me shoot for less than my potential. And for helping me attend practically every football game, giving me some of the best memories a college student could wish for and turning me into a duck fan for life. For my education and the Family & Human Services program. For my abilities. For three years of employment (a.k.a. fun) at the Outdoor Program, giving me so many skills, a family, and unleashed my passion for empowering others to get outdoors. For the beauty and pure life in every square inch of the PNW. For the sunshine! For live music and festivals and late nights. And for the most incredible friends I could have ever imagined. I feel so blessed to have had so many beautiful people cross my path and touch my life in such a profound way. I feel confident the love I share with each person I've developed a connection with will draw us together again and again. The endless support and love that has been outpoured onto me is overwhelmingly blissful, and it will carry me through all the unknowns that lie ahead of me.

And lastly, I am so grateful to this place for helping me find home. 

No matter where I go or what I do in this crazy world, I will always have oregon.