When it comes to trying to summarize my time here at The Appalachian and my time in Boone as a whole, a few words come to mind. The first of which is community. Everywhere I’ve turned, I’ve been lucky enough in this weird mountain town to come into knowing what the real definition of that word means. Room 217 of Plemmons Student Union is no exception. I found friends I never thought I would make this far into my senior year, an extremely talented group of colleagues who deserve nothing short of the world, and some of my best memories here at App State. 

After my first semester in Boone in spring 2020, I wasn’t entirely sure I would make it to graduation. From countless ups and downs to all-nighters to everything in between, I found myself along with the second word that comes to mind here, resilience. Making through a rocky first semester prepared me to really give my all to Appalachian as a whole and push myself in ways I wasn’t used to, whether I liked it or not. 

I never thought that at this point of my college career I would be begging for one more. One more all-nighter. One more rocky semester. One more up and at least one more down. But all good things must come to an end eventually, and The Appalachian and my time here at App State were too good to be true. So go outside on the sunny days and sit on Sanford with your friends. Have one more TApp Room taco. Find your home here, and be thankful for the family you’ve found along the way.