If I had to describe the first feeling out of all the feelings I had swirling around within me that day as I watched you guys walk across the stage in your caps and gowns, it would be happy. Because um, hello. You guys did it! You graduated from college!! It is supposed to be exciting! However, if I had to describe the next feeling I felt as I watched you guys pack up and leave, it would be comparable to a sad breakup with not just one person, but multiple people—an entire class, really. It was a feeling of knowing that time moves on and things would never quite be the same.

Now, I can’t speak entirely for public colleges/universities when I continue as I attend a small, private university, but I’m sure many of these things occur within public schools too.

Yes, my university is smaller in population—generally, A LOT smaller than state schools. Some people choose to see this as a con, but in my opinion, it is the exact opposite. I cannot express to you the amount of amazing and truly unique people I’ve gotten to meet and personally know after just two short years of college. Sure, I’ve met a lot of people in my own class, but I will talk about those people later when our own graduation day draws near. For now, I want to focus on the seniors. The ones who just graduated. Those who have officially left the safe haven of college and are about to venture out into the real world for the very first time. Guys and gals, this one is for you.

First and foremost, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being opening and welcoming to us underclassmen. You could have abused your seniority power, but you never did. You could have been stuck up and arrogant, but you never were. You gave us the time of day when we passed you; you said hi, you even pointed us on to that academic hall we never could seem to find during that first week of school. Without a doubt, you made us more certain in our decision that the college we are attending could be and would be our home for the next 4 (or more) years.

Secondly, you guys taught us the ropes. You showed us how things ran and operated. You were seasoned veterans by the time we came around, so you knew which places and streets were safe in our college town, and you always seemed to keep an eye out for us “poor little underclassmen”. You also knew how to have your fair share of fun—and boy, was it fun. Again, you continued to let us in on the fun and excitement of college because you knew how it felt to be the new and younger kids on the block once upon a time.

But with all the fun that came with it, you guys also knew how to get down to business. You played hard, worked hard, and now you hold the ticket to fulfill your lifelong dreams. You may think we didn’t see you guys putting in long hours in the library studying to pass that important exam, or working day after day on a project that was a summary of all four years of your college career. On top of all that, many of you were involved in anything and everything because hey, private school perks. Away from the classroom, we saw you guys working hard on the field, the court, perfecting your craft, your instrument, whatever your passion—and that was inspiring. Some may think because we are all in college we don’t need to look up to our elders…but I’ve never thought of it that way. I think it’s important to have role models close to yourself in age—it helps you set realistic goals for what you want to accomplish in your remaining college years.

Yet finally, when it all comes down to it, perhaps the most important lesson we could have learned from you college graduates was how to love your university, your classmates, peers, teammates and professors so strongly that it made it so much harder for you to say goodbye to the life and home you had become accustom to. Just know that we looked around and saw those close bonds and friendships you formed and we hope when our time comes senior year that we can say we have the same.

So as I close, I’ll leave you with this. There will be some of you I see again, and some I may not, regardless I’m thankful for the opportunity and the memories. After all, God places everyone in your path for a reason. It’s now time for you all to get out there and follow your own paths while continuing to leave your mark in other people’s lives. Whatever you are, whatever you aspire to be, be a good one. Whenever you get to where you are going, don’t forget where you came from.