Jamie Vergara

A continuation from: https://thejamiegrace.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/chapter-3-5/

After a long 3 and a half years of pursuing my bachelors degree, the end is very near. I can’t help but reflect on all the fun moments, difficult days, and wonderful people I’ve encountered along the way. Undergrad was so much fun and I honestly can’t believe I have made it this far. The amount of times I have wanted to quit or change majors just to avoid a difficult class was off the charts. The amount of times I had to be pushed and carried to stand back up whenever I was down was discouraging but also an affirmation if you put your mind and your heart to a goal, it can be accomplished.

I can’t help but think of how God’s timing is so impeccable. Although I had to finish my final semester at UNF mostly online, the years and months before had nothing on this 4 month period.

During my time at UNF, I had the opportunity to do the following:

• I studied abroad in China for a month
• I was asked to speak at the Business School’s scholarship banquet
• I went on 2 mission trips with FOCUS: Malaysia and Mexico
• Met most of my best friends whether from work or school
• Was on the board of 2 clubs I was active in
• And soooo much more!

I’ve had the best experiences and fun times in Jacksonville and all the places I traveled to while in undergrad. As sad as I am to have to move on from the good times, I’m ready for what comes next. While I’ve learned so much from either my successes and failures, I want to highlight some of the important lessons that got me through my undergraduate career:

• Discipline: This is super important. There were moments I wanted to pass up studying, and I won’t lie sometimes I did, for a more fun leisure option. You have to know your priorities and stick with them. You have all your life to have fun, but one shot to get a grade right. Work hard now, relax later.
• Patience: Working in retail and volunteering on 2 mission trips really taught me this. Not everything will go your way and you have to learn how to accept that and adjust to a different environment. How you react to situations will make or break you. When I was trying to learn how to produce music, the guy at Guitar Center told me I have to be patient with the software. Not everything comes easy and you have to be patient with whatever you are trying to do or wherever you are trying to go. Great things take time, and that’s why they’re great.
• You will not be first place in everything: This is a sad truth that I feel like this generation is having a hard time realizing. Use your failures to make you stronger. But also, spend time enhancing your strengths. Sometimes we might focus too much time on our weaknesses that our strengths become mediocre. I had to learn that sometimes you walk into college thinking you’ll be a straight A student but you have to do whatever it takes for you to finish. Our success is measured in our own way with our own goals. Not the person next to you.
• Rest is a right, not a reward: There were times I really had to force myself to either drop my pencil or take a day off from work. You can’t give your all to something if you don’t have anything in you. Rest days are mandatory.
• Try something new: In order to grow, you have to get out of your comfort zone. I will say Malaysia, China, and Mexico did that for me. Recently, I have started working out with a fitness class called Camp Gladiator and I do it at least 4x a week at 5 AM. Yes, that is AM and not PM. The trainer for my class named Matt really pushes the class and has pushed me to realize you are capable of so much more than you think and you will only know if you push yourself to greater lengths. You will not move if you stay in the same spot. I never thought I could get up for a 5 AM workout, but I’ve been doing the class now for almost 2 months. You can’t spell I M P O S S I B L E without I’M POSSIBLE.

A couple months ago when Caleb Garett and Joslyn Simmons from the Dean’s office asked me to give a speech for Coggin’s annual banquet, I said “As I prepare to graduate in 9 months it used to be a scary idea: adulting” and all the jokes aside, I know that I will be okay in whatever comes next because the school and my support system have given me the help I needed to be the person I am today. With that being said, I am so excited to announce that after I graduate, I have accepted a job offer to be a Tax Associate Analyst with Ernst and Young. I can’t believe that I am here, and I truly believe you have to go through all the easy and difficult moments to get to where you need to be. But always remember, you can’t do it alone. I am incredibly grateful for my supportive family, best friends, and the teachers and staff who have helped me during my academic career. While I could go on and say so much more, to my friends still in undergrad or for those on the way to reach a goal, don’t ever give up. Success isn’t about talent or skill but about the refusal to give up. Things won’t always come easy, but the hard times are golden because they lead to better days. I thank everybody along the journey I have gone through.

Below are some of the fun moments and fun people from my past 3.5 years ❤ Much love to you all. Thank you to my parents, grandparents, siblings, and best friends for getting me to where I needed to be today. And thank you God for the continuous blessings. Xoxo. #AMDG