I’m currently on a very packed Dartmouth Coach, heading back to Hanover after a wonderful spring break for my last spring term ever! This means I only have about 3 months until graduation which is both nerve wracking and exciting!

Over winter term, I was basically taking a 4th course: Operation Find Jess A Job! In all seriousness, being a senior and trying to figure out what comes after can be very overwhelming. The fun part was that I wasn’t alone and oftentimes, my best friends and I would work together and each look up potential jobs through LinkedIn and work on application materials. It was definitely a lot, and I received many rejections but I’m ecstatic to share that I’ll be moving to Houston to be a College Success Advisor for a nonprofit called CollegeCommunityCareer! I get to support FGLI student access and succeed in college so suffice to say that this is my dream job!

For spring break, I went home to Lynn and spent the two weeks soaking in as much family time as possible. Since I’m moving very soon after graduation, I’m trying to enjoy all these small wonderful moments.

One of the best things during break, aside from planning and buying furniture to move, was to celebrate my mom’s birthday! Though I won’t be home on her actual birthday, I still wanted to make it as special as I could for her. I baked her favorite cake, tres leche and took her out to dinner and it was such a fun time! Though I’ve gotten more adjusted to being away and being an FGLI student at Dartmouth, moments with my family keep me grounded and happy! 

So yeah, I’m graduating omg! If you told freshman year Jess that she’d be so close to the finish line and very happy for what’s to come, I don’t think she’d believe you. Like I’ve mentioned in other blogs, my freshman year was super tough. I struggled a lot with homesickness, finding a community and academics. My first fall term, I wasn’t sure if I’d even come back. Surprise: I’m still here and I’m almost done! Sometimes I think about it and am still in shock that graduation is so close. This is a huge deal not only for me but also for my family. When I received my Dartmouth class ring in the winter term, I called my mom and we teared up because all my family’s sacrifices and my efforts were paying off! 

During my freshman year, I found my community through the FGLI folks at Dartmouth and my two best friends, Erica and Melissa made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Through it all, my best friends have been there and made my Dartmouth experience as amazing as it has been. They just truly emphasized for me the importance of finding community and good friends and for that I will always be grateful. So as excited as I am to be graduating soon, it’s also still bittersweet because I won’t get to exist in the same place again with my best friends. 

Overall, I’m feeling a big mix of emotions as I head into my last term at Dartmouth, graduation and my future job. Definitely grateful, excited, nervous but overall blessed that I’ve been able to take Dartmouth by storm and make it my experience!