Two years ago, I wrote a piece thanking my HC Team for being the place that I called home and being the first organization in college I felt where I could be myself.
Two years later, and it’s pretty much the same thing.
I’ve put my heart, soul, frustrations, and spare time into this team. And, really, this isn’t about me and what I’ve done (which is basically live & die by the HCXO), but it’s about how all of you have made me a better person because it. I never realized how much I was going to miss everything until Tuesday night at senior night. Watching Olivia put the pin on my cardigan, feeling the weight of the gift bag filled with goodies from the survival kit (and handmade items from our fellow team members), and hugging Jules while she held back real tears, it hit me.
That was the last time I was going to be in that setting.
We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, this team. From people making fusses about article topics to losing members to seeing exponential growth to helping put on a conference for over 200 middle school girls, we’ve done it all. We’ve made it through one round and we’re heading to another — I just won’t be here for it.
You all have given me a place to call home, friends and collegiettes. I am so incredibly grateful for the late nights, the early mornings, the spontaneous Einstein’s coffee dates, and even the tense meetings where I lectured my ass off about all the wrong things everyone was doing.
You’ve given me my best friends, people I’m going to carry in my heart for the rest of my life. You’ve given me the chance to travel and wear this pink and gold pin with pride, much more than anything else.
I can’t wait to see how much you accomplish when I’m gone. I also expect to have first dibs on t-shirt pre-orders, but that’s not nearly as important as the lengths you’re all going to go to sustaining this chapter’s success.
I’m just glad I got to lead it when I had the chance.
My parting advice? Give thanks where it’s necessary, and don’t take anyone’s shit, y’all. People are always going to have something to say (read: “Is there a His Campus?”), you’re never going to make everyone happy, and those who matter don’t mind. Be fearless; be young, wild, and free; and always remember that a little time by the beach is good for the soul.
Seek justice and correct oppression, collegiettes. And thank you for the best three years of my life.
HCXO,
Royall