As I impatiently stare at the bookstore website (again) and get my planner filled out with the academic calendar (again) and prepare myself (oh yes... again) for the beginning of the fall semester, I am filled with a sense of nostalgia.
I've been in school (including pre-K and a couple of academically-based preschool programs) for almost 19 years. Each year has had its opportunities and its challenges but always ended with the prospect of another year of learning looming on the horizon... until now. My academic career will finally come to an end with the conclusion of my undergraduate degree in December of this year. Nineteen years of books and ever-changing class schedules and lectures (both good and bad) will all culminate in the bliss of not registering for classes come October -- and a sigh of relief after completing my last final before Christmas. All of this sounds like a good thing, right? No more scheduling everything around my choir class, no more mandatory events, no more cafeteria food (all right...maybe that last one isn't terrible). And yet I am still filled with a sense of sadness over leaving.
My university is the home I chose for myself. This is the campus where I learned what it is to be an adult, how to think more broadly, and how to consider ideas from outside my own imagination. I learned more than just "how to write a term paper in eight hours or less" and more than just the lyrics to my school's Alma Mater. I learned who I was, and I learned who I wanted to be. I learned how to study, but I also learned when it was necessary to leave the books behind for a couple of hours. I learned what it was to gain lifelong friendships, but I also learned how to cut out the people who had become toxic. I learned to apologize, and I learned to forgive. I found my perfect study spot (goodbye, fourth floor common room!), and I also found a group of women whose support, values, and philanthropy I will proudly carry out into the world. I learned how to love someone else more than I could ever possibly love myself, though I definitely learned how to love myself as well.
While our undergraduate university years end in the blink of an eye, it is important to realize that the things we learn in these four years do not end with the turning of our tassels; love, friendship, honesty, and being a part of something greater are treasures we will carry with us always.
So here's to you, my dear Alma Mater. Thank you for four years that will last a lifetime.
