When you first start college, they tell you to enjoy every moment of it because it goes by so fast. You don't quite know whether to believe them at first, but one moment you are arriving at school a wide-eyed freshman, and the next you are leaving at the end of your junior year wondering where the time has gone. It's truly astounding how fast it all moves.
That was something I had to learn the hard way. I'm still shocked sometimes at how fast the years have flown by from being a clueless freshman to now. I can admit it is a far cry from facing senior year of high school; back then the only real anxiety for the future was what college to attend, nothing super serious in the grand scheme of things. Now that I'm on the precipice of my final year of college, I can't help but think on what this all means going forward in my life.
To tell the truth it's a bittersweet feeling facing my senior year. On the one hand, I'm excited to go back and see my friends, take interesting classes, and run with my team again. It's also gratifying to think how far I've come these last three years. Looking back I can say that college has been a tremendous positive in my life. I feel I've really come into my own at USF; intellectually, athletically, and personally and I'm very excited to see how much farther that growth will be taken my last year.
On the other hand, it is rather sad to think that this is it; it's my final year here at USF. I won't be taking classes in these halls, running with this team, or living in the heart of the Bay Area after this year. I also can't deny just how much I am going to miss San Francisco itself, and though I will always remain a SoCal boy at heart, the city has made an impression on me. It goes without saying that there is the anxiety that comes with approaching any big milestone in life and the uncertainty that is sure to follow after it. It is rather sobering to think that this is the last year before life starts in earnest for me. Granted, I still have a few years of grad school to soften the blow, but it's just not the same as college.
As turbulent as my emotions are toward senior year, I genuinely am looking forward to it and believe that no matter the challenges I may face I will be able to overcome them. I am fully confidant I will make it the best year it can possibly be, a bona fide "Year of Caleb."
