When I graduate this December . . .

. . . that pair of socks I started knitting last year will get finished. Those two library books I misplaced somewhere in the house in March will be found. My story about Francie and Trey will finally get edited. The hoards of books in my library stash will get read. The furniture in my room will be dusted and shined. The carpet will get a thoroughly deep cleaning. I will finally qualify for those jobs requiring a BA degree. And, most importantly, I will enjoy Christmas like I haven't done in years. If only my baby sister were finished with her degree, but not just yet.

Don't mistake me. I wouldn't trade my education for anything in the world. Some classes haven't added an iota of importance to my life while others have solidified my Christian worldview like nothing else could. I have read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein three times for different classes, loathed every moment of a children's literature class, and suffered through four math classes. I have developed an abiding love of literature from the Victorians and the British Romantics, and I shockingly love learning about the history of the Christian church. But I am now at the end of the road for my Bachelor's Degree. The lightness in my chest is pure heaven.

What will I be like? All I've known for the last 5 years is the girl driven to finish her degree. It seemed an endless tunnel of studying and grades and then, suddenly, that tunnel had an end. Who will I be when I no longer have professors to impress? Will my drive bleed over into my writing? Or will it find a new outlet in a new job? I can't even picture myself without another assignment deadline needing to be met. But I can hardly wait to meet this new Carissa who is waiting just around the corner of my life.

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