They say that life doesn’t come with a handbook, but it does come with a mom.

From the day that I set foot onto an out-of-state campus where I didn’t know a single soul, to the day that I’ll walk across two stages for both of my degrees, I wouldn’t have been able to navigate all the twists and turns life held in between without my mom on the other end of the phone, who always knew just the right things to say.

My mom always likes to joke that she’s “always right about everything” because she’s “just magic that way”, and honestly, the older I get, the more on board I am with this statement. Her wise yet amusing words have played a pivotal role in my own life, and they are widely enjoyed and appreciated by those closest to me as well. With this, I find it only fitting that I take this moment to reflect on some of the most impactful college truths, from the realest girl I know.

My mom always says to “extend the invite”, something that seemed impossible to do as an awkward, self-conscious freshman, but turned out to be the first of many things she would be right about throughout my time in college. To Maggie, Makayla, Sasha, Audrey, Carissa, Kaylee, Alyvia, Kennedy, Julia, Emma, Emily, Brooke, and Laura, I owe you an extra thanks for filling my college days with laughter.

Speaking of friends, she reminded me that “you can’t make old friends,” and to stay in touch with those close to me at home, too. To Cam, my oldest friend, thank you for all the mail and the many FaceTime calls over the years. I love you!

My mom made sure I knew that looking put together was something to take pride in. Growing up, she would wear a dress and heels to the office every single day, and I would get so excited thinking about the loud, tall shoes I would also get to wear when I had an office to go to someday. Now I’m old, and I wear a dress and heels to the office every day, too, and I can recall one day at an internship where the receptionist pulled me aside to compliment my style and said that she had heard people make positive remarks about my professionalism in passing. This interaction, and others, have done wonders for my confidence in the workplace, so once again, I think my mom was onto something with the importance of having a good outfit.

While we’re on the topic of looks, though, there are three things I wish I had admitted my mom was right about sooner. First and foremost, please put the tweezers down; your eyebrows don’t need to be that thin. Second, the next time you fake tan, just skip the hands, please. Third, blow-drying your hair looks so much better than airdrying, and it’s literally quicker too.

Freshman year, I would complain to my mom about feeling off, as freshmen usually do, and she would mention Elle Wood’s lines from the second half of Legally Blonde, in which she briefly explains the effects of endorphins. She would follow this up by asking when the last time I worked out was, to which I had no answer because I was afraid to use the college weight room since there were too many frat guys in there. After adding my second major in psychology, though, I learned how vital the neurotransmitters produced by exercise are for a healthy mind, and I’ve been taken with outdoor endurance sports ever since. To Lake Perez, Whipple Dam, and the Nittany Valley Half Marathon route, I’ll miss the good (and bad) times we had!

Flashback to my late high school days, when it was my turn to face the rite of passage of going through my first breakup, this was when my mom introduced me to the classic film “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Genuinely thank you, mom, for this experience, not only because it’s incredibly funny to look back at, but because I have never fallen victim to the “situationship” epidemic that is sweeping college towns across the nation.

When looking for involvement opportunities, my mom pushed me to find at least one social organization and one academic organization. Following this, I joined my sorority, and if you’re reading this, you can probably guess what my academic org of choice was lol.

To my sorority, what a rich legacy to be a part of — be the first!

And to Onward State, thank you for opening doors that I didn’t even know existed.

With all that being said, the thing that she was right about above all else was that you’ll never be too old to need your mom. Thank you for always being there for me for the silly, the serious, and all the laughs in between. Thank you to my dad as well, thank you to my grandparents, and thank you to all of the extended family who have been with me for this journey. I love y’all!