I only had about four months left. Three classes and I would be done. My college career over and the rest of my life ahead of me.

That’s what this fall semester was to me. I knew I would be writing dozens of papers and defending my senior thesis in December but I was up for the challenge. It’s one thing to head into your last semester but it’s a completely different feeling once you accomplish those things. This fall semester was everything I needed it to be. I learned more than I thought I could in each class. I found it amazing how it was even possible considering I was headed out of college.

This fall semester is my last but it stands out for more than that. I was able to write a twenty-five-page paper and not completely lose my mind (for the most part). For the rest of my life I will see my senior thesis as an accumulation of everything that I have learned at Old Westbury. Every book and class found its way into my thesis paper. I defended that paper this week in class and all I could think about was not wanting it to end.

I still remember my first English class and getting told that a senior thesis and defense was necessary to graduate from Old Westbury with a Bachelor’s in English. Finally accomplishing that felt surreal. My first English class was four years ago but how did time pass this fast?

Rereading Toni Morrison’s works and watching black and white films from the 1930’s in my other classes further enriched my time this semester. I was busy constantly but I think I will be grateful for it later on. College is only one moment in my life. I know there are bigger moments ahead of me. Yet there is no way I can get there without using what I learned these past four years at college and especially this fall semester.