I was truly scared to refer to myself as a college freshman for the first time. Just think of the magnitude of it. For over eighteen years, we have been raised and lived with a family that has almost always been there for us when we needed them and given us space when we needed some independence, but in about three months we won't have someone to make soup for us when we're sick or to tell us to eat our vegetables. We will no longer sit through classes we loathe alongside our best friends we love. We won't have to be awake and functioning before 8 AM, but we might stay up that long studying for finals. To put it succinctly, the comfortable lives we have grown to love will be a thing of the past. Nothing will ever be the same.

Yes, some of us hated most, if not all, of high school, and some of us loved every second of it, but most fall somewhere in between. Thus, we will likely have some mixed emotions playing in our last varsity game, taking our last biology class, and saying goodbye to our favorite teachers one last time, but in total honesty, you don't need me to tell you that this past year has been a year of lasts and that the upcoming year will be a one of firsts. My graduation isn't until June but many have already crossed that stage with their diploma and likely felt a mix of jubilation, freedom, and nostalgia all at once. We know what lies in store for us after that last bell rings, and if you're anything like me, you're full of questions about orientation week, which classes to take, which dorm you want to live in, etc. I urge you to push those questions to the back of your mind and enjoy the time you have remaining before your world is turned on its head.

Do me a favor these last few weeks of school and graduation parties and the last few months you have left at home. Enjoy it. Soak it in because we probably won't ever see these same people again in the same place. Have fun. Enjoy not having the responsibility of living on our own. Enjoy this summer because whether you have already realized it or don't figure it out until move-in day, we have to grow up quickly and without someone there to hold our hands as we do it. Don't get me wrong. I have enjoyed high school, my hometown, and all of the memories I have made with my friends and family, and I am excited to start this next chapter of my life. However, I am ready as I hope you are to take the next step.

Don't blink Class of 2016 because if we do, we might just find ourselves sitting in the middle of syllabus week.