Hi everyone, it has been awhile and I hope you are all doing well! The past month has been particularly crazy with a lot of ups and downs – grad trip, moving, health, and more. Perhaps the craziest of all is the fact that I actually graduated from university! Finally!!! It still hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It’s hard to believe it’s really over and that I won’t be going back to school in September. Especially when so many highlights have happened along the way.

My university experience was anything but ordinary. I spent five years finding different courses I loved, cities I enjoyed living in, countries to explore, and learning a lot about myself. Though I started this journey in the Okanagan and ended it in Vancouver, it took me across the country and all around the world. I had the opportunity to study at three different campuses, live in five different cities, and travel to many countries, bringing my current total to 20! I also completed a full year of co-op placements, which clarified the path I want for the future. And I launched chiaragoesglobal, which has also become a big part of my life.

It wasn’t all good all the time, though. There were so many times that I seriously contemplated dropping out. And there were even more relationships that I lost along the way. But, those experiences paved the way for new relationships to grow and new opportunities to surface that made me realize I could do this – even if I questioned it until (almost) my last day of classes. If I can do it, you all can too!!

It was really nice to celebrate this major accomplishment at my convocation ceremony. Even though it was much earlier in the morning than I would have liked, I was still grateful to be there and have some of my family members in attendance as well. I enjoyed celebrating with many friends and fellow grads. It may have been only a week ago, but it still feels so surreal.

Being the first person in my entire family to graduate is a big deal, and an immense privilege. I acknowledge that I am very privileged to have been able to attend university in the first place, and to have been able to graduate and prepare to launch a career is even more incredible. I wouldn’t have made it through this five-year journey without the support of family members, friends, faculty and staff at the multiple campuses I attended over the years. Thank you for your support!

And of course, thank you to all of you. I started chiaragoesglobal when I was in my second year of university, and it has grown throughout the past few years as I have continued my studies and grown myself. Now that I have graduated university, it feels like a chapter of chiaragoesglobal is ending as well. But, old chapters close so new ones can open. The same can be said for this site: I recently revamped the blog into more of a full-fledged website to capture a bigger picture of who I am and my path for the future. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the full site yet, make sure to do so! In particular, the new Experience and Publications sections have plenty of new details about my work.

Despite university being behind me (for now!), I am looking forward to the continued growth of the site and myself. I am excited to see what comes next in my career and continue to share this journey with all of you.

For now, that’s a wrap on my #ubcbucketlist. I’d say graduation is a pretty great ending. Cheers to whatever comes our way next! #ubcalumni