This is a hard one: my last column as an undergraduate student at the university. My goal was to do everything in my power to keep this from being a yearbook shout-out to all the people in my life who helped me get to graduation. But I’m going to try to put a spin on that idea, because I don’t think I can leave here without acknowledging the people and events I originally thought would ruin me.

I’d like to thank the Department of Resident Life for sticking me in Easton Hall. Despite the fact it is the single farthest building from every classroom and dining hall on the campus and I lost nearly 10 pounds in sweat each night from August until mid-October, it put me down the hall from the best friend I could have ever met. Without her, I don’t know if I ever could have survived. She is the most important thing I am taking from this campus, and she was worth the 45-minute treks to class.

I’d like to thank the journalism school representatives for basically telling me I wasn’t worth their time, over the phone no less. Despite the fact my degree isn’t coming from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, their decision to reject me made me work harder to get what I wanted. And because of that single phone call, I made a decision to never let anyone tell me I couldn’t be who I wanted to be ever again. After a stint as a columnist and as an editor and having had a say in the now-infamous Duke lacrosse case through my writing (perhaps my proudest and most meaningful contribution to the literary world), I’ve learned not everyone who was accepted to that program deserves to be there, and more importantly, not everyone who was rejected deserves to be dismissed.

I’d like to thank an old roommate who once told me “bullshitting my way through things” would get me nowhere in life, lambasting me for my “I’ll get it done somehow” mentality. Not only did I disregard the comment, but I also learned how to overcome boundaries when hard work just wasn’t enough. And trust me, sometimes it really takes more than a good grade to get where you want to be, and that’s OK. Sometimes you need not just the knowledge of how to do something but also the ability to find another way to do it if Plan A falls through.

Finally, I want to acknowledge my dad. This seems pretty typical, except for the fact that my dad’s not here to read this. My dad’s death was the defining moment of my life. And to be honest, as I stood crying, attempting to make it through his eulogy in front of all our friends and family on July 27, 2002, I honest to God thought my life was over. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My dad’s death made me the person I am today. Seeing him laying in his casket at his wake made it possible for me to know no matter how impossible or painful a situation may seem, I will always be able to overcome it, and no matter how hopeless I’m feeling, it will always get better. His absence from my life has made me value even more those who are still here today. And, above all, his death encouraged me to take chances, take risks, live life and, most importantly, enjoy life, because you never know when it will be over. It’s been nearly six years since I’ve seen him, and he still has the greatest impact of anyone around me. And while he might not be sitting in the audience as I walk across the stage to receive my diploma, I know in my heart that, without him, I would have never gotten there.

I think what I’m trying to say with this column is every bad situation has a silver lining. Some of the worst situations I’ve come to face in the last few years have led to the best experiences and opportunities I ever could have been afforded. Who I am today is not a result of the easy times, the good times or the happy times, but rather the hard times I learned to overcome and the appreciation they’ve given me for those brief moments of bliss. I know my future beyond the university holds so many moments of heartache, pain and frustration, but more importantly, I know those moments will give way to something better. If I could dole out one piece of advice to underclassmen, it would be to constantly look at the bigger picture. Because while there is so much to worry over, so much to cry over and so much to complain about, there’s so much more to be grateful for. You just have to know how to find it.

Stefanie Williams is a senior English major and former Diamondback opinion editor. She can be reached at swills25@umd.edu.