As my college careers comes speeding rapidly to an end
there
is nothing left to do then to sit back and reflect on the last four years.
The first thing I am faced with is the undeniable fact that
time is a vicious thing. The days are long but the years are short. It feels
like it was just yesterday that I was graduating high school, yet, here I am
about to graduate from college. Am I ready? Can I do it? What will become of
me? Have I learned all I could? Did I do my best? Are my parents proud? Am I
proud? Is this how I want my life? What do I do now? Endless questions fill my
head as I prepare to turn the page and begin a new chapter in my life.
Being one of the most indecisive people I know I still
cannot believe I somehow managed to graduate right on time. Three majors, two
Universities’ and a semester spent in New Zealand. Yet, here I am at the end of
my rope desperately hanging on to the last remainder of time left. People say
that this is the scariest and most exciting time of your life and I do not
doubt them for one second.
To be completely honest I am absolutely terrified
and excited.
Mark Twain infamously wrote, “Do not let your schooling get
in the way of your education.” I am quite certain that along with a few useless
facts that retained in my brain from the lib-ed requirements, most of the
lessons that I learned in my four years of college did not come from a
textbook.
Like many of my peers the lessons that I will remember most are the
ones that life taught me.
-The value of a good friend: In college you meet and
encounter hundreds of people. Some become class buddies, some drinking buddies,
some roommates but eventually you will find a handful of people who you care so
deeply about and they become your second family.
I truly believe that true,
genuine friends are very hard to find and keep.
However, every once in awhile, if
you’re lucky, you’ll find a few to call your very own.
-It’s okay to fail, just don’t give up: Over the course of
my college career I have most definitely failed at things; a paper, a quiz, an
audition, a dream, a relationship. The list could go on and on. It wasn’t the
fail that was the hard part, it was the learning how to continue on and keep
going.
-ANYWAYS is not a word; it’s ANYWAY.
#journalismproblems for real tho…..
-Nobody really has a clue what they are doing. If someone
tells you they do, they are lying. There is no road map, no instruction manual
for this thing called college. The best thing we can do is live day-to-day and
take life as it comes. I will always remember my mother telling me, “God has a
destination for you, the road you take to get there is up to you.” Live the
life you want.
-Tomorrow is not a promise. The past four years I have seen
way too many people die at a young age. It breaks my heart but also serves as a
lesson. There is never a promise of a tomorrow, only the moment.
-It’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to fall in love. It’s
okay to cry. It’s okay to hurt.
-Live frugally; it’s truly amazing how little a person
actually needs to survive.
-Speak your mind but know that there is a time and place for
everything; this includes your opinions. Learn when you can and cannot, should
and should not say things.
-Your education comes from the life experiences you gain
rather than what you learn in the classroom. The knowledge you get from the
books and professors means nothing if you do not apply it from the real world.
-Have a little fun, go a little crazy but WATCH OUT FOR
SHOTS. Those things will get ‘cha. Limit the amount you drink.
-Trust yourself first. Don’t waste time being upset.
Know
you are stronger than you give yourself credit for.
-Home will ALWAYS be there for you but for now go and find
yourself. The world is HUGE and BEAUTIFUL with so much to see.
Go take a look
around: Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.
-People do not always turn out how YOU want them to be.
Learn to accept things you cannot change. Just because someone doesn’t stay in
your life, doesn’t mean they weren’t important or that you didn’t learn
something from them. I truly believe each person enters our lives for a reason,
to teach us a lesson. The lesson could be big or small, life changing or
seemingly insignificant.
Regardless, have an open mind and an open heart.
-As always, I believe it is important to try new things and
live not simply exist.
I encourage you to do one thing everyday that scares
you.
In a final send off from Mr. George Feeny-
“Believe in
yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good.”
Congratulations to the University of Minnesota class of 2012. WE DID IT
: )
