In 10 days, I will graduate from college. A moment that once felt a lifetime away can now be seen on my calendar in big pink handwriting: “Graduation @ 10 a.m.”
There’s a clear emotional difference between graduating from high school and graduating from college. Graduating from high school has the emotion where you’re growing up, but still have the safety net of being a student. Even though the academic stress we all may face doesn’t sound much like a safety net, it still provides a divide from you and the “real-world” stress: finding a job, taxes, paying a mortgage, etc.
That’s if you aren’t already dealing with it.
Graduating from college is leaving adolescence behind. You just spent the last four-ish (or congrats to those graduating in three!) years prepping yourself for a career, and now it’s here. Now you need to find that job and become a full adult.
Graduating from college means that things change—for better or for worse. In the end, you are crossing a finish line that a lot of people don’t get to, and you should be so proud of yourself for it. I need to listen to my own advice. My college experience has been a whirlwind of emotions, but I have learned so much from it. The most important thing I’ve learned is who I am and not who I should be.
The difference between college freshman Morgan and college graduate Morgan are two different people, although we look the same. Freshman year, I was everyone’s favorite people pleaser. I was still fresh to being on my own, and I couldn’t handle being alone. I chose to associate myself with people who simply didn’t like me.
I was a wreck, and I wanted to give up. Go somewhere else and start over. But I stuck around, and I’m glad I did.
Over this time, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned who I am and where I truly belong. One of those places is the Saint Bonaventure University Dance Team. I know this isn’t a physical place, but it can be best described as a family. I joined my sophomore year, and I wish I had joined sooner—it’s my hardest goodbye.
Besides dancing, we did other things together. We had a lot of bonding events, and these events defined the family aspect of the team. Our picnics at the end of each semester were my favorite.
Also, I joined HerCampus and eventually became a board member. I met so many people through this, including one of my current roommates, Abbey. I can’t thank this club enough for all of the opportunities to express my personality through writing.
I do also need to mention being a student ambassador. This was my on-campus job from sophomore year through senior year. I typically just gave tours to prospective students and their families. Occasionally, I would do office work. I’d file query cards, stuff folders full of information, or sit at the front desk and answer the phone. Even though this is tedious work, I loved it.
The part of it I loved the most was the people I was with. I loved showing families how much I love St. Bonaventure. I loved telling stories about each location on tour or cracking jokes about the walking track inside the Richter Center (you can use it to walk, run, or watch the men’s rugby team attempt intramural soccer every spring…it’s entertaining).
I also adore the coordinator of the ambassador program: Bella. Bella was always in the office, but became the coordinator at the beginning of my second semester in the program. For some reason, we just clicked. Bella was there for me a lot this year, specifically, and I will never be able to thank her enough for that. Even just checking in on me while I’m already in the office did so much. She’s a hard goodbye, too.
Even with all of these goodbyes and “lasts,” I came to a hard realization: it’s my time. I’m aware that’s a little ominous, but what I’m getting at is that I’m ready to graduate from college and move on.
I had this realization earlier this week when talking to my little about post-graduation. She’s still a freshman, it’s like seeing a reflection, honestly. That made me realize that it’s time for me to be done leaving my mark here at St. Bonaventure and let the younger classes leave their marks.
Even though graduating is terrifying, I’m ready. I’m ready for everything that’s to come for me.