Graduating student Mckenzie Rucker reflects on her time at BYU
Dance graduate Mckenzie Rucker. (Courtesy of Mckenzie Rucker)
Going into 2020, I knew it was going to be a wild ride. 2020 has been the year of change for me. I’m graduating. I’m moving. I’m starting my career. I’m starting over. But the biggest change of all has been identifying who I am in this bigger picture we call life.
This year has been the wildest of rides. There were times I thought my life was over as I knew it. There were things that happened that I pray no other human ever has to go through the way I did. I struggled. I blamed myself. I even hated myself. But like all the horrible things in our lives, it passed. I prayed often. I forgave further. I served extra. I loved more.
Working through traumatic events in life doesn’t come easy or fast. In fact, it may take a lifetime to completely heal. But through it all we have friends, family, and most importantly our Savior. The Master Healer walks by our side every day. He carries us when we feel defeated. And He cheers for us when we achieve victory.
My victory today is that I love who I am. This year I have become a graduate in the BYU class of 2020! BYU has given me so much more than a bachelor’s degree. The lessons I have learned, the people I have met, the places I have travelled, and the memories I have made will stay with me long into the eternities. I entered to learn and am ecstatic to go forth and serve!
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