Washington, D.C.: the center of more than just a country but of cultures merging together and creating a unique balance and unity.

I have reached my senior year and my last honors conference. I have to admit I went to the conference with dread because this was the last. The past conferences have been amazing. I look back over each one and have special memories from each. Snow covered the beautiful mountains of Denver giving a breathtaking (literally, it was cold!) view of the surrounding land. San Antonio was filled with laughs and cowboy hats as I met new friends over Denny's food (an upset stomach didn't take well to Mexican that week). I could go on indefinitely about how each conference has left a mark on my academic career and on me. Attending the final conference in D.C. was a nice way of having a capstone experience and a great way to (sort of) say good-bye to the undergrad world of NCHC.

I have visited D.C. on numerous occasions. This time, though, was still special. The monuments and the museums can never get old; I notice new things each time I go. The memorials, because of close family ties to the events they depict, always bring tears to my eyes and deep reflection. The structures are the same but the thoughts and experiences I bring to them each time I visit are different.

I have been very blessed to be a part of an Honors community that strives for excellence and collaboration. The conferences have been amazing because of the camaraderie that is present among Columbia College women and professors, yielding the ultimate learning experience. Without each individual, something would be missing from the experience. Coming from a diverse campus, we each bring unique talents to the table. Like D.C., we are a combination of diverse backgrounds and qualities that coexist in such a way that we maximize each of our potential. Although my collegiate career is coming to an end, the ways in which I have been strengthened by my fellow Honors students will continue with me after I walk across the stage.