#PREPOSTGRAD DIARIES: LEAVING LUBBOCK, THE COLLEGE TOWN

No one prepares you for how bittersweet it feels to leave a place you always knew was temporary.

I never expected a college town like Lubbock to grow on me so much these past few years. 

Today is my last day as the Student Recruitment Assistant for the College of Media & Communication.

Tomorrow, I'll pack up my stuff, load my car, and drive six hours back to Dallas.

And somehow, writing those two sentences makes everything feel real.

When I first moved to Lubbock, I don't think I fully understood how much this little college town would shape me.

It wasn't just where I earned my degree.

It became the place where I learned who I wanted to become.

It's where I found lifelong friendships, studied abroad, earned my class ring, developed a deeper love for content creation, managed social media for organizations I care deeply about, grew my confidence as a communicator, and accepted my first full-time job after college.

It's where I learned that growth rarely happens all at once.

It happens in ordinary moments.

Coffee runs before class.

Late nights finishing assignments.

Walking across campus.

Orientation days.

Filming content between meetings.

Trivia nights with friends.

The little routines that slowly become the memories you miss the most.

One of the greatest gifts Lubbock gave me was the opportunity to work as the Student Recruitment Assistant for the College of Media & Communication.

It never felt like "just" a student job.

It challenged me creatively, strengthened my confidence, introduced me to incredible mentors, and gave me opportunities to tell the stories of a college that has meant so much to me.

To everyone I had the privilege of working alongside—thank you.

Thank you for trusting me to tell your stories.

Thank you for encouraging my ideas.

Thank you for believing in me long before I fully believed in myself.

As excited as I am to begin my new role with Texas Tech University DFW, there's something bittersweet about leaving the place where so many of those dreams first began.

Over the past few months, I've written a lot about uncertainty.

About job applications.

About trying to live in two timelines.

About wondering what came next.

Now, for the first time in a long time, I know.

I know where I'll be working.

I know where I'll be living.

I know this next chapter is waiting for me.

But knowing what's next doesn't make saying goodbye any easier.

I think that's the funny thing about growing up.

Sometimes the places that prepare you for your future are the same places you eventually have to leave.

And that's okay.

Because leaving doesn't erase what a place gave you.

The lessons come with you.

The friendships come with you.

The confidence comes with you.

The memories come with you.

Lubbock will always be the place where I grew into myself.

So today, I'm choosing gratitude.

Gratitude for every opportunity.

Every professor.

Every mentor.

Every friendship.

Every challenge.

Every early morning.

Every sunset over campus.

Every chapter that led me here.

Tomorrow, I'll head back to Dallas.

But a little piece of my heart will always belong in West Texas.

Thank you, Lubbock.

You'll always feel a little like home. ❤️