May 2, 2024
Every hour in the next three days is one hour closer to the last moments here at High Point University. In three days, we will be staring at the same stage Nido presented on during our first moments as freshmen. We are three days away from the surreal moment of turning a tassel, signifying it’s our turn to enter the terrifying “real world.”
For many of us, this has been a countdown we have looked forward to for years. For others, it’s one we’ve been putting off because we’re not ready to leave this beautiful place we’ve called home for the past four years.
As one of those people that have been counting down with excitement, I can say that in these last few weeks, I have certainly changed sides. For an outgoing senior, everything I have taken for granted during my time here has finally sunk in.
We have one weekend left to create memories we may or may not remember with the friends that have become family. We have three days left to get lunch with our best friends or talk until 2 a.m., knowing the walk home is only a few steps away. There are three days left to wave to people we hardly know when we pass them on our walks to class.
As I sit and stare at my bright purple cap and gown alongside the cords that hold memories of the accomplishments I’ve had in my college years, I’ve realized my true accomplishments haven’t come from being in the classroom, but rather they come from the people who have made me into a person I am proud to be as I move onto the next stage of my life.
When I entered my very first class freshman year, I was told time would fly. In unison, my class laughed and nodded, as that phrase is the biggest cliché there is. But days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, then turn to years, when suddenly you find yourself experiencing all of your “lasts.”
You find yourself wishing you could turn back the clock to the first day of moving in, being greeted with a “Welcome Home” and a hug goodbye from your parents. As we sit on Robert’s lawn with our parents by our sides congratulating us, we will have a full circle moment realizing it is time for another goodbye, but this time to our second home.
Now, passing that same teacher as I walk through the communications building every day, I shake my head wishing I had listened to him sooner.
Having said all of this, all I can do now is look back, be proud of how far I have come and share the wisdom that I wish I had accepted in my younger years.
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Of all of the things I have learned during my time at HPU, the biggest piece of advice that I can give is to never be ashamed of who you are in your college years. Whether that means not being ashamed of how you look, how loud you are in public or the clubs you choose to be a part of. Be proud of who you are and what you have to offer the world, regardless of what anyone else is doing around you.
Looking back on college, you won’t regret laughing full-volume with your friends at the fancy dinner spots while simultaneously getting dirty looks. Those will be the moments you look back on and tell stories about years down the road.
The sorority or club you choose to be a part of will be something you’re proud of when you reminisce on the friendships you made. It will not define who you are as a person or how people feel about you.
On that note, while you’re in college, if a person does judge you based on what clubs you are a part of or the hobbies you enjoy, you are not missing out if they are not in your life. Your lifelong friends will accept you regardless and love that you are involved in what you care about.
So, as you go through school, keep all of this in mind and know that you will make it, even through the hard times.
After four years of crying, stress and anxiety about everything that college threw my way, I am here, recording a voice memo of how to pronounce my full name for a graduation I wasn’t sure I would make it to.
Everyone goes through emotions of not feeling good enough and wanting to give up on school. Whether that is because of difficult classes or friendship tensions, everyone goes through something. Remember that those difficulties are simply just a paragraph in the college chapter of the story of your life.
There is so much good that comes from being in college, so focus on the good.
Focus on the “free food” (forget how much money you are paying for that free food after graduation), enjoy the group projects where you meet new people you never would have without your teacher randomly assigning that group and enjoy the freedom that you are given inside these beautiful, brick walls.
If I could get just one extra day, or relive the highlight reel of my college years just one more time, I would. As a senior who could not have been more excited to leave school, I can honestly say you’re going to miss it all.
Having not even left the gates yet, each step I take is a last, and that’s a bittersweet feeling no one can fully prepare you for.
Take advantage of the time you have, make the memories and say yes to plans, even if a nap sounds tempting. All of this slips away quicker than you can imagine. Then one day you are staring at your Blackboard that says “no courses available” in the fall 2024 section, realizing this chapter is finally over and there is no turning back.