Tomorrow morning I will graduate and bid adieu to MSMU. It doesn't feel so long ago that I announced my commitment to the Mount and moved onto campus. Four years truly do fly and now I must say "farewell (for now)" to what has been my home away from home.
I can already feel the campus wishing me well, even as I prepare to depart. As you may recall, I moved to Maryland in July 2018. I had only lived here for three years before beginning my collegiate journey where I would spend most of my time living on campus. It's no wonder I consider this place home when I have been so accustomed to moving so much as a kid; I considered this a move as well.
Lately, I've been watching the dear friends I've known since freshman year getting engaged to their long-time significant others, acing job interviews, and making plans to travel or continue their studies and get their master's or doctorate degrees. We've finished our last assignments and are packing up our dorms for the last time. Some have known exactly where they were going since before they arrived here. Some of us still haven't found what we've been looking for. It's all so beautifully bittersweet.
The campus is quieter than expected the night before the big day. I assumed there would be more "Graduation Eve" ragers, but it seems most of us have recognized that this is our last night as students here on this mountain. My crew and I plan to head to the place we went the night we became friends; a small playground in the suburbs of Frederick. Many of the original members of our group have long since come and gone, having not been the best people to associate with, but we still go there and pretend that time isn't moving as fast as it is. We go and allow ourselves to be like the young and dumb kids we still feel that we are, all things considered. When we come back to visit, it'll be as alumni - Such an old person term for people so young.
There's this great unknown that we are all feeling. This weird void that we know is good, but we stand at the edge with great trepidation. The leap is a big one and there is no way to truly return to what once was. We can't see what's next, but that doesn't mean that it's something to fear. We're all meant for something so much bigger, and the best is always yet to come.
To my fellow seniors, I hope to be remembered fondly when we get out of college. I'll never forget the short part of our lives we shared together on this mountain. This is my final blog and if I am forgotten, I hope I made you smile or laugh somewhere down the line.
Ccongratulations on all of your success. I can't wait to see what we'll do next :)