We all have our favorite places. Whether it’s a burger joint, the city you studied abroad, or someplace where your favorite memories were made, these places stay with us forever. It might even be where you got to spend your senior spring break! We leave our impressions wherever we go. But truly, these places have a profound impact on who we are and who we are going to be.
For us seniors, think back to the moment you got to campus the first time freshman year. Think about how much of an impact this small town in the middle of Indiana has had on you. These “antique” dorm rooms, the dive bars, the run down pizza joint, a legendary (Joyce) parking lot…they’ve all been the home of moments that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.
I can’t count how many times I visited the Grotto and instantly felt a weight lifted. Or how turning down the Avenue makes me sigh a breath of relief. I think of how a circle of friends singing Piano Man at CJ’s on a Saturday night makes me feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be. This place which made me SO homesick freshman year has now, three years later, become my home away from home. I have made memories and formed friendships I will take with me wherever I go next.
With graduation quickly coming upon us, we are approaching the firsts of our lasts. Our last nighttime walk to the Grotto, our last Thursday night on the town, our last call at CJ’s, we will remember these lasts as vividly as our firsts. And if you’re lucky like me, the people who were with me for most of my first experiences at these places will be beside me at my lasts.
When we leave, we will take everything that happened here with us. And while we have to go in a few short months, we will cherish the times we can come back to visit…and don’t worry we’ll be back. While we say goodbye to our home for the last four years, we have so much to look forward to. Whether you’re moving to a new city or moving home and becoming your parent’s new third wheel, wherever you’re going next is going to be what you make of it. Dr. Seuss said it best, “Your mountain is waiting, so…get on your way!”