The semester started! Isn’t it weird, or is it just me? A part of me, since the semester started, has felt weird walking around the campus. By now, I know it like the back of my hand. This is the last semester of my undergraduate career, and let me tell you that it is bittersweet. Who would say four years passed so slowly yet so fast? It felt like yesterday that I was moving into Smiley Hall, and now I’m about to say goodbye to campus. At UT, I have found a group of supporting professors who have helped me grow as a scientist and person. As well as my wonderful friends in and out of the science field. Right now, picturing a time in my life without them brings sadness. But I remember that we all are going to great places following each other’s passions and dreams, knowing the support we have for each other is real. In some moments, it feels like I have one foot at UT and the other in the future, especially since I have my graduate school interview in two weeks.
To the person who is reading this, if you are also graduating this semester or soon, try not to always focus on the sadness or negative emotions that this may bring. Do not discard those emotions because they are real, but acknowledge them and deal with them. Just try not to go into a rabbit hole with them because that is going to make every day feel sad, and you will be missing out on what matters. Whether you are spending time around Tampa, hanging out with friends, going to Gasparilla, or just hammocking on campus. The important thing is that you enjoy how and who you are spending your time with. You should dream about your future with joy and remember the past with love instead of dreaming about your past with regret and thinking about the future with regret.
To not go down the rabbit hole, I suggest planning our little dates with yourself and your friends. Enjoy every day with all the good and the bad, spend time with the people you love, and make more memories. Talk to your friends and support each other, as well as let each other know how you are feeling. I think sometimes we all get centered in our own minds that we think we are the only ones feeling this way when, in reality, your friends might be feeling it too. I think this semester is all about cherishing the times and moments together with each other with the hope that the best is yet to come. The best of our professional careers, relationships, and friendships. With the idea that graduation is just a chapter closing, but the characters just keep growing with each other no matter the distance.
So, have fun and maybe try new things before the semester ends. Maybe run around campus when it is raining, ask your crush out, go to a party, or just explore new Tampa locations. Whatever you do, I hope your semester goes great, and you enjoy every single day!