Class of 2023 - Lucie

When you have family graduating — you take their photos.

It was a beautiful crisp fall afternoon in Northwest Ohio — the perfect time of year in the Midwest. I had flown back home for a long weekend to enjoy time with my family and the beautiful fall color on the trees. I brought my mom along as we drove down to the Ohio border to meet with my aunt and my cousin Lucie to take her senior photos at her school.

Toledo Metroparks + October weekends = the best fall color

I’ve known Lucie since she was born — her older brother and I are a month apart and grew up together. When we were 9 he got a new little sister and I got a new little friend, finally I had a girl cousin to play with! We spent weekends having dance parties to Lady Gaga and spent family holidays running around the house, and I was always teaching her how to do flips on her gymnastics mats. I graduated HS and went off to college at BGSU, and she often came to my games to cheer me on. Little did we know 6 years later she would decide to attend the same college where I made so many memories.

It’s been hard living so far from my family for the past two years, and I wanted to make sure I took the time to see Lucie before she graduated and started attending BG. We spent three awesome hours throwing a volleyball around in her high school gymnasium, and walking through the woods at Secor Park. Sometimes it’s not about the photos, but the memories you make while capturing them.

It’s been so amazing watching Lucie grow up, and I’m so proud of the young woman she’s becoming. I know her years at my alma mater will be thrilling and life-changing, and I’m so excited to see what the future has in store for her.