To think after four years of tears laughs and everything in between, it’s all coming to an end. It’s frightening and exciting at the same time. To think, only a number of days stand between my friends and I. And when they say four years goes by fast, they mean it. I feel as if I blinked and it was over. I remember the anxiety that ran through my body during my freshman orientation. I remember moving into my freshman dorm and my parents wanting to make my bed and unpack my things. I remember the feeling of going back to my hometown for the first time. I remember my first college party. I feel as if it all happened yesterday.

Coming back to campus this semester means something more. It’s more emotional. I look around this beautiful campus and take it all in. I think about all the memories and the stories that lay within this place. This place means something different to each and every one of us. A combination of good company and timing.To me, it was the night my roommates and I were getting our roommate ready for their first date. We anxiously waited for her to get back to hear all about it. Maybe it was the night that I was homesick and my floormates hung out with me until I forgot why I was upset in the first place. There are so many times I could look back and just smile.

A few years ago, we embarked on a journey that was bigger than ourselves. It was our internships, experiences, and relationships that shaped who we have become over the past four years. We went through the best and the worst with one another. While our chapter comes to a close, there are so many emotional “lasts” that I can't even wrap my head around. Our last first day of classes. Our last time ordering textbooks. Our last round of finals. With that being said, there are so many “firsts” that are coming our way. Our first move. Our first job offer. Our first home. During those “first” moments, I’ll never forget the people who got me there.

As the last semester of my college career comes to an end, I’ll cherish every moment. I won’t pass up an opportunity to be with one another. I’ll take a million photos. I’ll enjoy the small conversations on the way to class. I’ll cry as we submit our cap and gown orders. I’ll be there as we pack up the last of our things before graduation.

I’ll hold your hand as we walk through the doors of the arena saying “we did it.”