Nothing compares to the feeling of sitting in the Student Union or library when doing some readings for class or constructing an outline for a paper and suddenly experiencing an overpowering feeling of gratitude and contentment wash over you as you momentarily look away from your work. That moment is a moment of realization.
Realizing how much you’re savoring your coffee or tea, and how great it is to live in a college town with a cafe on every corner.
Realizing how good the sun feels through the windows, and how the natural light lifts your spirit.
Realizing the vast depths of knowledge at your fingertips – troves of books, database access, advisors and professors overflowing with expertise – seemingly endless resources for your learning.
Realizing how convenient and safe campus life feels, with nearly everything you need at walking distance in the confines of your shared community.
Realizing how independent you’ve become since you started your journey here, growing through each challenge and experience into the person you were always meant to be.
Realizing how confident and competent you are thanks to your hard work and dedication to learning the skills and subjects you’re passionate about.
Realizing how many opportunities have been made available to you thanks to your student status and institutional perks.
Realizing how many people – professors, counselors, advisors, coaches, supervisors, resident assistants, and directors – are working hard every day to ensure your wellbeing and success.
Realizing how many spots on campus hold special significance for you because of the time spent and memories made there; maybe it’s the 3rd floor of the Student Union, a specific table in the dining hall, the Solarium, the duck pond, Greenway Trail, or the lobby in Edwin Duncan hall.
And, perhaps, as a tear forms in your eye, at that moment you’re realizing just how much you’re going to miss this campus when you graduate and venture out into a world beyond university.
You’ll be okay, and you’ll do great things out there. But a piece of you will always be here. Just don’t leave behind everything you have learned, you’re going to need it later. That’s what this was all for, and it was all worthwhile.