It is hard to believe that four years can flash right before your eyes and then you are off to the real world. I am a sad senior, not ready to part ways with the amazing friends that got me through this whirlwind and the organizations that fostered my growth and goals for the future. However, I have never felt more ready to enter adulthood and the corporate world because of everything I have learned through the mistakes I made, the courses I took, and the network I gained. College put me through trying times and brought me many new challenges, but through it all I came out alive and ready for the next chapter of my life.

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The hardest part about being a student in the business school at UF is living up to the involvement expectations that are set for you in the very beginning of your college career. There is a list of organizations that are revered as the "best." If you don't apply to these or don't get accepted into them, it is very easy to lose yourself and your worth. It always upset me to see students who felt like they didn't fit the bill for being a certain kind of leader in the business school. The Florida Business Leadership Society was the very first club I joined freshmen year and the only one that made me feel immediately welcome. I found that I could be my unforgiving self with people who wanted to talk about more than just a resume.

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My biggest goal at UF was to pave my own path. I believe I was successful in straying away from my peers' definition of success and creating four years of meaningful involvement that allowed me to encourage and inspire others to follow their own paths, no matter what they look like. I stepped into FBLS at 18 years old, where the membership dwindled each week, but the mission was strong. Today, I serve as the President and could not be more proud of the positive changes we have made to make FBLS a top organization in the business school. We have grown, but our message still remains. Some of my greatest friends at UF are a part of my FBLS family. I have seen myself grow professionally and personally from FBLS, but what I really gained is a network of individuals who have positively effected me and helped me transform into a leader that I am proud to be.

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London will forever be a part of me because of study abroad. The opportunity to spend three months in the UK is by far the biggest blessing I was afforded in college. I arrived at my flat in London clueless and wide-eyed, but I left with a sense of independence, clarity, and a new family I'd get to spend the next three years with at UF. I will hold the memories I have close to me and bring the lessons I learned with me as I walk away from UF and towards the next part of my life.

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Throughout all of college, I was certain that the finance career path was right for me. As I left my junior year, I was more weary about this. Your career is a significant part of your life. My internships showed me that I will be spending the majority of my time with my coworkers, not at home with my family. The most important factor in choosing my career path and first job was by far company culture. Ultimate Software goes out of its way to put people first and to take care of all employees and their families. I have never been more certain about this decision.

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I will be entering the working world as a Revenue Accountant with Ultimate Software's Accounting and Finance department. I realized that accounting made more sense to me and just because my Bachelor's Degree is in finance, doesn't mean that finance was my end all be all. We are told that changing our minds and changing career paths is bad, but it is the most freeing thing one can do. If you are not happy, change something. With a new direction ahead of me, I am excited to go into corporate accounting, rather than public accounting because there is more of a work-life balance. I still have dreams to go to places I've never been and set off on new adventures. This time around, I'll have to get used to using PTO for that. 

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I know I have a challenging two years ahead of me. In addition to starting a full-time position, I will be working towards my Masters of Accounting in Fall 2017. My goal is to graduate with my MACC in Summer 2018 and finish the CPA exam by Fall 2019. I have a long few years ahead of me, but I know the payoff is well worth the ride. Once I finish my education and certifications in accounting, I hope to move towards a more global role. The international experiences and education I am taking away from UF will serve as an investment in my continuing education and career. 

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If there is one thing I have learned in my past 22 years, it is that life can take unexpected turns and your plans can completely change. Life's uncertainty is just another challenge we all face, but confidence and optimism for a bright future ahead is all one can do. It is a beautiful thing to be lost in the right direction. So far, I am loving the path that I will continue down. 

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Go Gators! 

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