As the end of the year draws near, I keep thinking about the friends of mine that are a year older than me and are graduating in a few short weeks. I never knew how close I would get with people from a different grade than I am, and I would never have guessed that I would be wondering how to conquer my senior year without them.
As graduation and summer are becoming more real, I get to hear how they are moving on to new lifestyles, jobs, countries, and schools. While I am sad to think about these upcoming changes, I’m excited to watch them grow, embrace their success of finishing college, and move on to amazing opportunities. I honestly believe one of the best feelings is watching your friends realize that they can succeed and can take what they learned in college onto other things they love.
I have known graduation has been coming for a long time, so I have had time to prepare myself for the tears that will inevitably come. Goodbyes are not easy, but I have thought about a lot of ways to make saying goodbye to some of my favorite people a little easier.
First off, I think appreciating and thinking about the amazing times I have had with my soon-to-be graduated friends has been really important. It makes me realize how lucky I have been the past few years and how friendships cannot be taken for granted.
Additionally, we live in a period of time when technology has made it immensely easier to stay in touch with people that live far away. While they may be leaving Davis, I know that it will be really easy to stay in contact. However, I have also realized that some of the strongest friendships can be the relationships where you don’t have to talk every day and still be able to pick off where you left off when you both get the chance to catch up. I think this can be important to remember, especially as people grow up and are unable to have a college student schedule.
People growing up and moving away doesn’t mean the friendship is over. Change and taking steps toward adulthood can be scary. But in the end, I am proud of my friends and am so excited for what the next year will bring them.