Unlike most of the columns in today's paper, this one isn't saying goodbye to UB. I've got a couple years left to don the blue and white as an undergrad. But this column is still a grand goodbye.
Goodbye to a class that has left its mark. Goodbye to some people that just shouldn't be leaving so soon.
Class of 2012, I know it probably seems you were just the Class of 2008, and I'm not sure anyone could have predicted that your four years would vanish with such callous rapidity. It's funny how we all start thinking about time around graduation every year. The Class of '11 has already been gone a whole year, and they weren't too bad.
But you, 2012, you are the first class that's really impacted me. Pretty soon you'll have been alumni for a year, too. Snap your fingers and my Class of 2014 will be leaving.
My point in all this time babbling is as follows: the years fly with such haste that it's easy to minimize your importance. It's easy to think: "I didn't really change stuff at UB."
Don't.
You have changed me forever - clich?(c) but factual.
From Matthew Parrino, who took a shot on me as a scared little Spectrum staff writer and ended up turning into my big brother, to Akanimo Akpan, who taught me to look beyond the surface of everything and remain humble above all. From Tyler Cady, who showed me that you can step into adverse circumstances and absolutely thrive, to Bryan Feiler, who has made me laugh since the moment I met him.
I could go on for hours - not just about these four, but about everyone in the Class of 2012. I probably know less than 1 percent of you graduates, but to those I do know:
Damn, you've been spectacular.
You've been crazy and stressed and frazzled and drunk. You've been fun and exciting and unpredictable and responsible. You've done things you swore you'd never do and you've accomplished more than you could've ever expected. You have cried and laughed, smiled, and puked.
You've learned so many names and memorized so many faces that you might've forgotten that you were once a lost freshman. Picture yourself on your first-ever day of college classes. Now look in the mirror. What a journey it's been.
You might not be ready to leave this phase behind. I know the feeling; I'm in the midst of leaving the restaurant I've worked at for four years to get a "grown-up" job. You probably feel like college is your last tie to adolescence. Growing up sucks sometimes. But I want to remind you that as you've grown up in front of our eyes, it has not been in vain.
Your years have been impactful. You've witnessed easily the most successful four-year tenure in UB's athletic history. You've seen two university presidents, a fake gunman, and some bizarre scenes that could onlyhappen at UB.
You have set an example. A couple years from now, when I'm about to graduate, you will be on my mind. As Death Cab for Cutie has so aptly put it, "every plan is a tiny prayer to Father Time;'" but as I hear my name, grab that diploma, and look out to the crowd with a huge smile, I'll be thinking of how good you guys looked in your caps and gowns. I'll think of how kind you were to a little kid like me.
You accomplished so much from 2008-12, and I know even bigger things are in store from 2012-16. Bigger than I can predict. Bigger than you believe.
It would be impossible to count all your memories, but what stays behind the most are the people you've impacted - people like me.
So when President Tripathi hands me that diploma, I will breathe deep and see Matt and Akanimo and Tyler and Bryan - I will see all of you, Class of 2012. And when I exhale, my breath will proclaim: "I am ready for the real world, for the Class of 2012 has set the stage and trained me well."
Your time with us has been a flash, an instant. But man, it's been a great instant.
Email: aaron.mansfield@ubspectrum.com
