My Main Lesson: Always Grow as a Person

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My past four years at Southern Methodist University have been unforgettable. I’ve had so many experiences that I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for. There isn’t one aspect of my college21728_10151765978419128_156199655_n career that I wish I could change. I remember moving in like it was yesterday. It’s crazy to think that what I was feeling then (anxious, nervous, scared, excited) has come full circle to how I feel now. The excitement and nerves that come with moving on to a new chapter in your life is a feeling that’s indescribable.

When I first moved into my dorm, McElvaney, freshman year, I had a distinct idea of what college was going to be like. It’s funny to look back on that now and see that my idea of college versus what it actually was like are two completely different things. But I did everything that is necessary for a young adult to do in this situation: I learned as much as I could, I grew both academically and as a person, and I have some great stories along the way.

I was lucky enough to make the best friends imaginable wh1185545_10151961856697317_1183602038_nile at this school. I was equally as lucky to join my sorority, Pi Beta Phi, in the spring of my freshman year.

I was given the opportunity to start a new chapter of life again in college when I went abroad the spring of my junior year. I decided to study in Lugano, Switzerland where I was lucky enough to make some of the best friends of my life. After studying (but not really.. mostly traveling) abroad in Switzerland, I moved to London to intern in the Communications SMU-in-London program for an international hedge fund. This was an equally rewarding experience for my academic career and my personal growth.

My senior year has been filled with happy memories with my friends as well as a full time internship407792_10150630630807317_276406539_n with Weber Shandwick. This year has flown by too fast.

All of my experiences have helped me always grow; and I didn’t realize it until I was abroad. I’ve come to find that this is one of the most important parts of this point in our lives: always grow. This has come to be the new way that I make decisions. If the choice I’m about to make won’t allow me to grow as a person, then it isn’t the right choice to make. This is the lesson I hope others will listen to.

Hannah Rittenberry
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