The majority of the time, being a freshman again sounds like the worst thing ever. Going back to who you were before you found yourself, stumbling aimlessly around for friends and taking boring, 100 level classes with no relation to your major is not desirable.

But then I think about the first college graduation that happened when I was a freshman. I knew nobody. The people who were leaving didn't impact my life. I wasn't going to tear up at the idea of never seeing them again. They were faces in a crowd, faces I never knew. But now, I know those faces. The people who will be throwing their caps up in the air are people I know, people I love. So sometimes, the idea of being a little freshman again, having graduation come and go without feeling a thing, isn't so bad.

Getting older is not all its cracked up to be. Getting older means a lot of new experiences, but it also means a lot of goodbyes. College is cruel that way: It introduces you to the best people you'll ever meet, but at the same time it is shaping them into a person who will one day leave and take all they've learned somewhere else. It gives you 4 years to create friendships and make memories and then takes them all away from you.

I'm going to miss it. I'm going to miss the nights out with you and the nights in with you, the drinks at the bar and the pizza on the couch, and every single memory in between. And it isn't lost on me that when you throw that cap in the air, when you receive that diploma, when you buy that "alumni" teeshirt, everything changes. You won't be within a few miles of me, I won't run into you on campus. The structure of the friendship we built will be completely different.

But it won't be gone, and that's what is important. Friendships change. Dynamics change. But just because you're off to start your life doesn't mean that it ends. In these 4 years, you've made memories (and forgot some) and you've had the time of your life... But you've also been preparing and studying and going crazy in pursuit of becoming something. Now you get to do that. And the sadness I feel is well worth it knowing you're off to chase your dreams, to become who you want to be.

It sucks that you're leaving and that I'm still here, but I am so proud of you. Here's to the next chapter!