5 days and counting!

this entire week has gone incredibly fast.

i gave my grad presentation on friday at the design center.

i'll be honest and say that i didn't rehearse as far in advance as patrick had recommended, and after my first spontaneous presentation in class, i was worried. petrified is a better word.

i did rehearse alot on wednesday and thursday, and by friday morning i felt pretty confident that i wouldn't forget too much.

so, friday i arrive at the design center around 7am and sit in my car, eventually going in with shanna around 7:30. she seemed nervous, and she's a natrually great speaker, which made me more nervous. i can't believe how scared i was. i had dreaded this day for weeks and as natalie presented, sarah, then katherine, i felt shaky.

i think patrick could smell the fear on me, and the jurors decided they needed a bathroom break so patrick pulled me aside and we had a little pep talk. i won't go into detail about what he said, but it was so touching my could feel my eyes well up, but i was able to diffuse the tears.

as the jurors walked back into the room, my heart was racing. patrick introduced me to the room, and then i walked over to my boards. i thought looking at the jurors would make me nervous, but their smiles and eagerness for me to begin melted the fear away.

i started with my introduction and some how words started flowing out of my mouth, my fingers pointed at images on my boards, and my eyes met with each of the jurors. so far so good and before long, i was finished!

as i concluded my project, an overwhelming feeling of joy swept over me. a few of my classmates complimented my presentation and project, and that meant so much! then the jurors gave me their feedbacks and i was so proud that they really enjoyed my project and had such wonderful things to say.

one juror mentioned she was blown away by my technical and rendering skills, and that felt great! i was afraid that the details i put into my drawings would be lost since they were sitting several feet away from my boards.

when it was over, a few of my classmates helped me get my boards down and said that they were proud that i had done such a good presentation; they knew how nervous i was! hehe

overall, it was an unforgettable experience, and i'm so honored to have gone through it all with my graduating class. i sincerely adore every single one of them! :')

so now, it's week 11. usually at this time, i'd be scrambling around to get finals done, but i suffered through that last week. haha. now i just relax until graduation this coming friday.

i've only invited a handful of my closest friends and family, the most important people in my life. unfortunately, brian won't be making it, but that's ok. i can't wait for us to celebrate together in new york. after all, he has been such an important part of these last 9 months, and i'm not sure i could have done it without his help.

so yay! HOORAY!