Moving me to Stout for the first time!

When I was a junior in high school, I didn’t know what college I wanted to go to, all I knew was that I would never go to the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Stout is where my parents went, and I wanted to do something different, and blaze my own trail. Fast forward a few months, and after realizing Stout had the best fashion program, (yeah, the girl who wears Vans and t-shirts everyday wanted to be a fashion major) I applied. It was the only college I applied to, so if I wouldn’t have gotten in… Thankfully, I was accepted, and began my career as a retail merchandising major in September 2010. The more classes I took relating to fashion, the more I realized I hated it. I dreaded going to these classes, and if I hated them now, what would make me love it as a career? I woke up one night and had an epiphany: I was in the wrong major. After talking it over with my parents, we decided business would be a great fit for me. I was always starting companies when I was little, whether it was a lemonade stand, a friendship bracelet company, or selling doll clothes to my cat, I made it all work. In the middle of my sophomore year, I changed my major to business administration, and had to start all over again. Although this put me behind a year, I realized I had made the right decision. I loved going to my business classes, and even took advantage of the resources on campus so I could learn more outside of class. I looked forward to selecting classes each semester, and doing homework wasn’t as much of a chore (unless it was accounting).

Throughout my time at Stout, I was able to study abroad in Scotland, complete a marketing and communications internship, get more Leinie’s than I could ever drink alone, and make some pretty great friends along the way. People loved telling me that college would go by in the blink of an eye, and I truly didn’t believe them until this week. Looking back, I’ve accomplished and grown so much in these last five years, and I’m so proud of the person I’ve become.

What comes next, you may ask? Well, never one to be far from a Volkswagen, come May 18th I’ll be surrounded by so many of them that I may just faint. But hopefully not, since I’ll be at work! I’ll be working as a salesperson at Bergstrom Volkswagen of Oshkosh in…Oshkosh. So I don’t care if your car is 3 days old, everyone will have to come buy a new Volkswagen from me! Believe me, they’re great! (I’m only a little biased.) I’ll also be moving into my new big girl apartment that has…get this…a garage!! My new Golf R Sportwagen will appreciate that. (Right, dad??) Ella the attention hog-cat will also be making the move with me! I can’t wait to squish her face every single morning when she wakes me up to be fed. Please send lint rollers.

So as I graduate from college on May 9th and get ready to start my career, I can’t help but look back over everything that has happened to me in 22 years. I’ve had so much support from friends, family, coworkers, and social media friends and it truly means the world to me. Thank you all for being there for me the past 22 years, and I can’t wait for the next 22! (Then I’ll be 44. And on my 100th car. Whoa.)