It is the beginning of November, and I know I cannot be the only one thinking: Holy moly, where has the time gone? I am in my last year at San Jose State and it feels like just yesterday I was a freshman being scared to eat alone in the dining commons. I know I am also not the only one graduating this semester, and I cannot be more proud of everyone that is graduating this semester. But I also know that while all of us graduating seniors have excitement in our hearts, there is also the undeniable feeling of worry and, questioning what our lives will be like once school is over with? I have had this feeling since the beginning of this semester, and I am writing an open letter to everyone to let them know that these feelings are mutual and not at all weird or strange to have.
It really hit me last week that I am set to graduate at the end of December. I’ve been getting emails regarding dates and times of my graduation paired with emails regarding multiple job and internship opportunities to look at since I will be out of school soon. It all seems like so much is happening in such a short amount of time. I feel as if I blink, I will already be on stage, shaking hands with the heads of my department and receiving my diploma. How did time go by so quickly and can it just stop for a second? As we grow older, time does not stop for us or for anyone for that matter. It also goes by a heck of a lot quicker than when we were in middle school. I know that a lot of us who are set to graduate are feeling a mixture of excitement and dread or readiness meddled with hopelessness. It’s a weird feeling to have, especially when there is also school and other things to worry about right now as well.
What I am trying to get at is that even though we may be feeling all of these different emotions right now, we can still get through this milestone in our lives. And that is how we should see graduation as: a milestone. We have pushed through those longs nights that turned into even longer days. We got through the drama of breakups while also trying to study for finals or the frustration that came with getting bad grades even when you thought you did well. We have gone through the best friends and the ex friends, the fun classes and the dreaded ones and obviously the good moments of college mixed with the bad. And now we are here at the end of it all, waiting to start that new chapter in our lives which some of us are afraid to do. I’ll be honest, I am so scared of what the future holds for me once I cross that stage. But what is going to get me through it is my mind set and how I know I got this far in my life. And that is what I think we should all remember is that we made it through college and now we are here at the new start of era for us. Adulthood holds good and bad times, and going through those times is just part of the adventure that awaits for us. But first, graduation awaits.
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