I'm Graduating From University In 7 Days.

I knew this day would come but now that it's almost here, I have no idea how to process my emotions.

In exactly one week, I will be a University of Manitoba graduate. An alumna. Wow.

Obviously, I am having a bit of an identity crisis right now. For the last 4 years, I’ve had the tag “international student” attached to my name. That was my identifier. I had two introductions:

“Hi, I’m Towani, and I’m an international student at the University of Manitoba.”

For the people that I didn't go to school with and:

"Hi, I'm Towani, and I'm an international student from Zambia."

For my mates.

Now, I’m just Towani. Hi.

(I think my mom took this picture.)

This was the first time I set foot on campus. I made sure to grab a map because I had to know where everything was. I never picked that map up again.

I was 17 when I came to Canada. I would turn 18 over the weekend, and start school the following Monday. What a great way to begin my New Year! I was a university student. Well…almost. Even then, I didn't know how to process everything that I was feeling.

I was scared and excited and overwhelmed.

Like many international students at the University of Manitoba, I started at the International College of Manitoba (ICM). I had applied to be a psychology major, and economics was my second option. Interestingly, when the time came for me to write my personal statement during the visa application process, I wrote about economics. Funny story: I am now graduating with a degree in Political Studies and a minor in Economics. Nobody could have predicted this outcome, not even me. At the time, the decision was arbitrary. However, if you’ve had a conversation with me, you’ll know that I absolutely love it when things connect — and spoiler alert, they do.

Over the course of the week, I’ll be reminiscing about my university experience because in order to fully appreciate this journey, I have to step back and look at the story that I've created. Another thing about me: I love a good story. And, according to the main character, this one is tumultuous, full of fear and excitement and overwhelm.

But for today, I'm going to sleep smiling because I'm graduating from university in 7 days!