Dear Class of 2017,
When we woke up on our first day of senior year of high school, it was the day most of us had been waiting for. We had so much to look forward to: homecomings, snow days, prom, senior trip, senior pranks, and, ultimately, graduation. Now, as college seniors, graduation looms ominously in the not-so-distant future. After we walk that line, take our diploma, and turn our tassels, we are adults. It's time for us to get real jobs and be full-blown grown-ups in this big world. Even for those of us who are going to grad school, the idea of no longer being an undergrad can be scary. The dreaded application process and decision making will soon begin.
So, let's take a break from our freaking out and look back at where we started. It feels like just yesterday I was a college freshman. I woke up way too early for my class, so I lied in the floor of my dorm room trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach. I had my syllabi printed, my schedule written down, and everything neatly organized and prepared.
Now, if you're anything like me, my first day of classes three years later was much different. I stayed up way too late eating donuts for dinner and whining about school starting with my wonderful group of friends that I didn't even know existed when I first started college. I drove to campus with only a couple of things thrown in my backpack without anything printed out and not even sure of how long my morning shift at work was.
That's when I realized that college had become home for me. I'm not nervous anymore. I'm comfortable and happy walking to class and falling back into my routine. I at least somewhat know what I'm doing, and I know where I'm going. And I want to appreciate that while I still can.
On the first day of my senior year of high school, my favorite teacher gave me some advice that I'll never forget. He told us that during every moment we wanted to remember, big or small, to take a moment to step back and soak it all in. Remember the sights, the sounds, the people, and how you were feeling. And I did just that. I remember stepping away from the crowd at prom, graduation, basketball games, and our senior cookout to simply store those moments away in my head and heart.
I want to encourage you to do the same. Stop on your way to class and just look at how beautiful it is outside. Pause during a football game, and listen to the cheers. Look around at the people that have come to be your closest friends as you stay up way past midnight watching movies or playing cards. Soak it all in, because this time in our lives only happens once.
Try not to constantly worry about your homework or what the future holds after graduation. When you look back on college, you won't remember the 10-page paper you were annoyed to write. You'll remember the times you laughed until your stomach hurt, the times you fell in love and didn't look back, and the times you just lived in the moment.
So, live in the moment. Be fully present wherever you are. And take a moment to soak it all in.
Class of 2017, we've made it this far. Let's make this final year the best one yet.
Sincerely,
Your Fellow College Senior
