I'm not sure if I've even had time to consider what it means to graduate from college and bring a close to this critical time in my life, but maybe that's why I have felt extremely flustered these past few weeks. A part of my life is ending and I'm just not ready.
College hasn't always been a joy over the last four years, but my career at UB has been nothing short of interesting and enlightening. I have learned from some of the greatest minds in their fields and haven't had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to do so - thank you, public university.
However, I will be invariably thankful for the opportunities The Spectrum has granted me for two full years. If it wasn't for this newspaper, I probably never would have become involved on campus and my experience at college would have been drastically different, entailing lonely nights at home, playing video games without any new friends.
To be honest, I still do that once in awhile, but at least I now shave and iron my shirt before I leave the house.
For some students, I feel like they generally believe college needs to be a time of constant experimentation. They need to cram years' worth of excitement into only a few semesters of college, because they believe the fun is simply going to end with graduation.
I disagree.
My future beyond May 10 may not be very clear, but I'm hopeful for all the opportunities open to me. I'm excited for each and every day from here on out, especially the friends and family that I will make, as well as those I will lose. That's life.
Some people simply expect too much from their time on earth and wallow in their disappointment. My suggestion? Take every day as it is presented and just be happy that you are here and breathing.
I can't stand those who feel sorry for themselves because life didn't match their expectations, and they end up quitting or giving up. We are given life, and it's up to each and every one of us to make the best of that life.
So you didn't get that job you were hoping for, or you didn't get into the graduate school of your choice. Boo-hoo. If I have learned anything from college, outside the classroom, it has been to take disappointment as a critical stepping-stone, and move on to bigger and better things.
It's up to me to apply myself and learn from my mistakes, and the ultimate decision does not belong to the person next to me. I also know that no matter how bad things get, there will always be someone out there who has it worse. Those are the people we should be considering throughout our daily lives, and we should make an effort to make a world that they can be proud of.
To the seniors graduating this year: I want you to enjoy your time after college, because May 10 is not the end, but a beginning. The train called life is leaving the station, and will be barreling ahead into the future. Do you have your ticket?
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
