It’s time. Today I finished my final two anthropology classes. Thursday I will finish the last of my marketing classes. Friday, a management class, and Saturday a computer science class. Three more classes and my senior thesis stand between me and the culmination of my undergraduate experience.

I thought that the difficult goodbyes were behind me. I passed the torch in both Deltasig and RHA. I reminisced on the glories of my youth with fellow schoolmates (and while that statement is supposed to be humorous, I do feel much older).

Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Today I completed my final two anthropology classes. I becI ame an anthropology minor somewhat by accident. I had decided that I didn’t want to be an engineer, but I wasn’t quite sure where that left me.

I wound up in the business school. A lot of praying and soul searching led me to marketing, a field after my own heart. But my first anthropology class had left a mark on my heart and desire to learn more.

Over my years at Mercer, I have taken every anthropology course available to me. Honestly, this would have led to a dual-degree, but for one of my years at Mercer there was only one anthropology professor and she was teaching courses that I had already had the opportunity to take.

My professors have made such a profound impact on my life. They are strong, capable women who have taught me much about the world and the people in it. I’m not sure there’s a way I can write this without sounding trite, but honestly, I owe quite a lot to them.

They care so much about people. It’s so evident when they teach that they care about their students, the people they work with, and the cultures that they study.

Thank you for being an inspiration to me. Thank you for encouraging my love for people and the world we live in. Thank you for assuring me that I can still pursue higher education in anthropology, that I will never stop learning.

Thank you for your lessons, your time, and your guidance.

Thank you.