Blood, sweat, tears, and triumph.

It's been a long and awesome road.

Looking back on my undergrad years, I have memory upon memory of wild times. Wild times that have nothing to with my dating life at the time-- that's a novel for another time, like never. All the adventures I had in the Snell Building with the Tech Ed crowd before more than 30 people knew that the major even existed. Back when it was me, Amanda, Becky, Ashley, and the guys. Back when eating a Jose Ole Beef and Cheese Chimichanga was a rite of passage (because it meant that you hadn't been home from the Snell for 12 hours or more and you were absolutely desperate for food). Being in a class that had only 2 girls seems like an awkward thing, but it was anything but. Those were some of the funnest classes I had at school. We all learned so much from each other.

My major was fun, but it challenged me in ways I never imagined. Staying up all night working on graphic design because of sudden inspiration received while getting ready for bed and then going to metal shop the next day exhausted and trying to find the energy to stand and weld for two hours was hard. Leaving class covered in metal shavings (so itchy when they get stuck in your jeans) and machine grease and not having the time to clean up before religion class was not ideal. Getting a blind spot in my left eye when someone accidentally dropped a welder was also not ideal, but it makes for a great story. I could go on, like with the time that my welding jacket wasn't closed all the way and I got a burn on my chest from the arc's light. It was like the worst sunburn ever and it looked awful, imagine having a triangle patch of skin that is the only part of your body with a tan in the middle of pasty, cold February. So awesome.

Woodshop was probably the hardest class I had. As a graphic designer, I was in no way accustomed to working off of a plan, or thinking in wood. That class made me swear. I resented the sawdust. I resented not being a natural. I was too small to use many of the machines comfortably, but I had friends who helped me through. All the guys in that class were champions, they did a good job of taking care of me. That class was work. I suffered injuries in many of my other classes, but that was the only class that made me bleed. That was the only class that frustrated me enough that crying was the only thing left to do. I was such a girl. I finally pulled myself through, and I have a gorgeous quarter-sawn white oak table in the Craftsman style to prove it :)

The best thing about the major I chose was the ability to further develop my passion and knowledge of multimedia, especially graphic design. It was good. It further fueled my love for print communications. I made so many awesome things. Making movies well after midnight so that we could have the proper effect, making fake blood, screaming so loud the police came... and just having fun with the guys. They were like my brothers. I learned and I taught. I fell in love with Adobe Illustrator. All this was made better by the things I hand't planned on learning, and how I grew through pushing myself.

[RACHEL]