Spring break is now in the past; May is approaching rapidly, and Graduation right around the corner. I think now is an appropriate time to panic. My classes are winding down and earlier today I picked up my cap and gown, my graduation announcements, and my class rank. When I stepped up to the R-Q table, I thought to myself, maybe if I give the wrong last name I won’t have to graduate. I started to think about this place and my four years here – the classes I took, friends that were made, and all of the things still left to be done.
Thoughts overwhelmed me as I walked past the chapel on the upper lawn on my way to Goldberg’s. Hard to believe, but Goldberg’s wasn’t even around when I was a freshman. Vernon Social used to be a dark maroon meeting space with a few tables and a large wooden stage. I had my freshman year orientation in there and that’s where I made an incredible amount of small talk with people I consider acquaintances now. As I entered as a current senior, for a lunch with my friends and a pre-Her Campus meeting snack, I thought about how this space didn’t even exist four years ago. Of course, it probably would’ve helped my bank account if they never opened Goldberg’s but I also wouldn’t have had a lot of weekend night memories, fun lunches with friends, and helpful meetings with professors. It made me think about all of the things that happened to me during my time here.
As a four year member of the basketball team, most of my time was taken up by pre-season lift/conditioning/pick-up, in season traveling, games, practices, and post season lift/conditioning/pick-up! I thought about the progression of the team, the ups and the downs, and the friends I made along the way. Obviously, I’ve done other things on campus throughout my time here. However, basketball was one of the first to come to an end for me at the end of February. I realized that more and more things were coming to an end. Classes are winding down, final projects are being assigned, and for the first time ever, I won’t have to register for classes. While there’s a bit of excitement, I also can’t help feeling a bit sad. I just lived the life for the last four years and I will soon be entering the real world.
Fortunately enough for me, I know what I’ll be doing next year so I can take that stressor away. I’ll be a substitute teacher, an assistant basketball coach, and I will also be attending grad school to receive a master’s degree in Special Education. While those things excite me, I realize they are change and nothing will ever be the same. Rather than sitting in a class, I’ll be teaching one. Rather than being the captain of a team in uniform, I’ll be dressed up on the side-lines. And rather than taking a “bull-shit” class that interests me, I’ll be taking all classes for this thing called a profession.
As I ate my whole wheat bagel, scooped out, with lite veggie cream cheese, I remembered all the good, the bad, the new, and the old. I realized I was really going to miss this place. Being able to attend dinner at a Professor’s house, walking past the chapel on a warm sunny day while everyone is drinking/tanning on the quad, Black Bear Thursday’s, Tap Tuesdays, The Drunk Bus, Peter B’s, Goldberg’s, the 5pm Ferris rush, my almond milk/spinach smoothie from the Bistro, and living with my best friends in Crescent (a nicer townhouse than I’ll ever be able to afford for a long time). Crazy how a walk down the Long Walk with your cap and gown can turn into a walk down memory lane. I’m excited for the future but fear having to make plans with my best friends when I want to see them rather than walking into their rooms. A few more weeks and then it’s peace Trinity!!