It feels so crazy to be writing an article with this title… I am a senior in college. It’s real. Although cliche to say, the time really did fly by. I find myself feeling like my time is already over, even though I have almost a full year left given that my senior year has just begun. Being a senior has come with some strong feelings I hadn’t anticipated. Being at tailgates or in classes, and answering the question of “What grade are you in?” with “Senior” brings about complicated emotions. It makes me feel simultaneously accomplished yet is also heart-aching. It sometimes feels like I am too old. It’s funny how your mind can play tricks on you like that. I am here today, writing this article sitting in my last UMass home, to tell you that you are right where you are supposed to be, and though it may feel like this chapter is ending without your approval, it is allowing for the best that has yet to come to begin to take life in your life.
Looking back, it may be easy to become overwhelmed with feelings of sadness, and maybe even fear to take your next steps into the world. But, whether you are applying to additional schooling, dream jobs, taking a break to regroup with yourself, or anything in between, you are on your own path and you are going to do amazing things. I have no doubt.
I feel so proud of the work that I have done so far, the connections I have made, the memories that will last me a lifetime, and the amazing friends that have come along with it. I am making a conscious effort of trying not to talk and think about my undergraduate college career like it is already over, because it is not. I am so excited and feel an odd sense of peace and calmness — serenity, about giving UMass all I can for one more year, and soaking in all it has to offer before I confidently step into my new chapter of life.
So, to my fellow upcoming graduates of the class of 2024, I implore you to slow down. Enjoy the little things. Get excited over the campus buildings, go to the dining hall with your friends, take a long way to class, go to a sports game, sign up for intramural teams, laugh with the people around you, take pictures, celebrate your peers, and give UMass all you’ve got for one last time. You should feel so proud of the amazing accomplishment that is getting this far, and I invite you to light a fire under yourself to feel excited and begin to feel ready to break free from the cocoon that is undergrad and begin to do the great things that are tailored to you and your life path.
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