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While this post that is long overdue… I finally graduated! On Sunday May 21, after four years amazing years, I walked down the lawn with my closest friends and graduated. What an amazing feeling. You can see tons of pictures from the weekend here: http://photos.rossgilmore.com/thumbnails.php?album=62

Graduation weekend was a blast. The celebration began on Saturday in a large garden off the Lawn. I won a lottery amongst 4^th years that allowed the use of one of the gardens off the lawn. So on Saturday from 11 am – 2 pm, 15 of my closest friends had a garden party! About 100 friends and family gathered for good food and fun in a beautiful setting with perfect weather. Meredith, Caroline, Jen and Grace, and Joy were there – and Sprad and Baggio came as well! It really was an amazing opportunity for all our close family and friends to celebrate and be together, especially since Sunday everyone would be so busy!

On Saturday night, the LD House and families went to a very nice dinner – there were 29 people and the inn could only seat 30! Beau’s mom booked the dinner at the Chester Bed and Breakfast in Scottsville. It was a little bit of a drive from Charlottesville, but it was very nice and really good for all of us to have that evening together – we have lived together for the past two years and have become very close friends.

Sunday was graduation! After painfully waking up early (7:30 AM) to go to Budhist Bar for drinks and breakfast, the ceremony on the lawn began at 10 am. We were blessed with perfect weather and the lawn at UVA is so beautiful. Unbelievable how many people are there for graduation! We all walked the lawn together and were fortunate to sit underneath the tree in the shade.

After the lawn ceremony, I went to the Engineering School for my diploma ceremony. Needless to say, this was a pretty nerdy ceremony. Despite the long delay in starting, walking out to the Star Trek theme music (I know we’re all nerds, but really??), socially awkward speakers, and the hot weather, the diploma ceremony was a success. It was good to be around all the students I’ve worked countless hours with over the past 4 years. The highlight of the event was easily Beau and I doing a chest bump mid air after I received my diploma.

By the end of the ceremonies, it was 5pm and things started to come to an end. Parents were leaving, furniture was packed up, and it really began to hit me that my 4 years here were done. I had an amazing college career, and I’m sad to see it go. But I’m fortunate for the life long friends I’ve made and the memories I’ll never forget. I’m excited to move onto the next stage of my life, especially knowing that the University of Virginia has best prepared me in doing so.