I’ve worked in the admissions office at my university since September 2003, so I’m coming up on thirteen years there. The average “lifespan” of an admission counselor is about 18 months. I’ve had a lot of co-workers. A lot of amazing ones. Too many to even list, though I will say the prize for Kept Me Laughing Too Hard to Work goes to Kyle and Josh and The Only Person I’d Let Steal My Roomie goes to Matt.

For the past while, my office mates have been Whitney and Sam. I’ve mentioned them a lot recently, since both are leaving the university to pursue their dreams. On Tuesday, Whitney will hop a plane for Vienna, Austria. Shortly after, Sam will head to grad school in Illinois.

It’s been a tumultuous, incredible journey with these two (and our honorary office-mate Steve too!). I have shared so much of my heart and my life with them. We have cried together, prayed together, fought with each other (mostly me and Sam), gotten upset that others were fighting (mostly Whitney), laughed so hard we could barely breathe, discussed work, grad school, writing, dating, theology, politics, missions, social justice, racism. Not since college have my beliefs been so wonderfully, thoughtfully challenged.

Whitney will be doing trauma-based education for refugees in Vienna and the Middle East. (Please click here to learn more!) Sam will be getting his masters in bioethics.

I am so damn proud of both of them.

Starting to cry again. Gotta go!! 🙂