To my fellow seniors,
The inevitable day we've been denying is happening all year is fast approaching. It doesn't matter if you have a plan or not, this day is terrifying; terrifying in an amazing way. This is the day our lives begin. This is the day we become adults...or so we've been told since birth. We are part of an 'elite' group of people entering the world as college graduates. I look around at everyone and can't believe how far we've come since that first day on campus freshmen year. These have been the best four years of our lives full of excitement, laughter, joy, tears, frustration and alcohol. Or maybe that was just me? The decisions I've made over the past four years might not have always been the best and my friends can absolutely back me up on that. I'd like to think that my college experience has been an eerily like Michael Scott's everyday struggle.
With that being said, I wouldn't change anything. If someone asked me if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't be able to envision myself anywhere but where I've been for the past four gloriously, wonderful and crazy years of my life. There have been many ups and quite a few downs. But, the memories we've collected, experiences we've had and relationships we've cultivated will be with us for the rest of our lives.
I don’t know about anyone else but I met the best friends a girl could imagine over the past few years. Through the nights of advice after irrational drunk tears, helping me analyze text messages from boys and multiple midnight Sheetz runs just because, there are no words for how grateful I am to you ladies for your friendship. One of the hardest things about graduating is that in a week you won’t be a 30-second walk down the stairs or a five-minute drive away. So, when people ask me what I’m going to miss the most, I will miss the people that have made my college experience unforgettable. From the nights of eating junk food on our bedroom floors after the bar, shooting the shit at the kitchen table for hours to the times we were losing our minds in the library or congregating to binge watch "Grey’s Anatomy," I will miss those moments the most.
During my time at the Mount, I met amazing people from all different walks of life through various clubs and organizations. They have taught me so much about what it means to be, not only be a good human being in general, but also a good friend. I always felt like a majority of the people I met were genuine, kind and caring individuals, and I feel incredibly lucky to have known them because they have changed my life in more ways than they'll ever know.
In one of my philosophy classes, I learned that if you're too fixated on either the past (nostalgia) or the future (hope), you are hindering your own ability to live in the present and truly enjoy it. While I don't think it hurts to look back and remember all the good times and even some of the bad, it's also hard to not look forward to or think about the future. I can’t help getting this feeling in the pit of my stomach from the excitement of finally graduating. There is something so exhilarating about having endless possibilities and not knowing where or what you’ll be doing from here on out. Of course there are those who know exactly what their next step is and where they’re going after that day we walk across the stage. Some people are even getting engaged while I'm just trying to figure out what alcohol I’m buying for the weekend.
The fact of the matter is we’re growing up and it's time to start that next stage of our lives. So as graduation day approaches, I challenge you to just enjoy it. John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Seniors, don’t let this time fly by you. Take in every moment of it because before we know it, it’ll be over and we’ll just be real adults.
