First, like the fiddler, I have something to shout from the rooftops: I’ve completed my big three projects for this, my final undergraduate semester at Cal Poly Humboldt! This educational triumvirate the grant proposal, the wicked project, and my senior capstone is all laser-focused on launching a culturally responsive food pantry in Covelo, California. But let’s be honest, if you know me and my heart, this work has always been bigger: to create a blueprint that could spark similar efforts in rural communities far and wide.

This semester has been a wild, exhausting, and deeply emotional journey. Picture me: countless late nights, powered by determination (and far too much coffee and energy drinks), researching with dozens of tabs open in four different browsers, navigating tricky conversations, and waging a war I lost to PowerPoint slides. There were moments I broke down in frustration, asking, “Why am I pushing myself so hard?” especially when deadlines collided or when a tech glitch three weeks ago erased everything I’d built. Yet each of those moments reminded me why this work matters.

The most heartbreaking part, without question, was stepping away from my dream job at the food bank. This was a place that grounded me as a volunteer and gave me purpose and joy as an employee. I made the difficult decision to leave early on to help offset their funding struggles. It left me grieving a role I loved, and it carried a financial sting I still feel. Yet it also opened the door for me to pour everything I had into these projects, to embrace the heartbreak and turn it into fuel for change.

Now, as this long semester closes, I stand at a crossroads filled with both uncertainty and hope. Grad school? Online marketing certification? Growing this initiative even bigger? Or something else entirely? I don’t know exactly what’s next, but I know this: my heart is all-in. This fight against food insecurity has shaped me, and I am more committed than ever to seeing where this path leads.