In far too few days, I will be graduating from these hallowed halls. Marching across the promenade, crossing the stage on Roberts Hall Lawn, and receiving a diploma that is the culmination of four years worth of academic immersion. After all the hard work, sometimes sweat, maybe a little blood, and definitely a lot of tears, my undergraduate career will come to an end.
With the crossing of that stage and the handing over of the sacred piece of paper that is my diploma, an entire chapter of my life will close. Not just any chapter, but a big one, a fun one, maybe the best one.
Everyone tells you that college is the time of your life. The seniors you get to know freshman year wax poetic about time flying in the blink of an eye. Your parents tell you to cherish every moment because it’ll be gone before you know it. The chorus of do’s and don’ts and clichés seems in the beginning redundant and never ending.
And then it happens – you leave school a happy junior, maybe with a great summer internship, and come back in the fall as a senior. And things slowly start to hit you.
Each event is the last one; the last derby day, the last fall formal, last spring break, and all of a sudden, the job panic hits, resumes are sent, and people start asking you what you’re going to do with your life. Caps and gowns come in, and then boom, it’s the first weekend in May, and it’s all over.
While the “boom” is still a blessed two weeks away, the reality has hit. Loading up the car to make the long drive from New York to North Carolina in August of 2012 seemed like a distant memory for much of the last four years, but as of late it seems like just yesterday. How vividly I recall coming down to campus for the first time, as a real HPU student, the anxiety, excitement, trepidation and sense of adventure were overwhelming. And as I stand on the very precipice of real adulthood and the rest of my working life, those memories come flooding back, the anxiety, excitement, trepidation and sense of adventure are once again overwhelming, but this time it’s bittersweet.
I’ve written for the Campus Chronicle since the summer before my freshman year. I’ve had a hand in every edition, whether it was an article I’d written or pages I’d edited, I could feel and see my mark on campus through my involvement with the paper. My role at the Campus Chronicle is far and away the most consistent element of my college career.
At 18, moving to college and starting over makes everything new and crazy, and the Chronicle has been my anchor since day one. What I’ve realized along the way though, is that it hasn’t been the involvement or the activities that has made the most profound impact on me; it’s the people I’ve met along the way.
High Point University is such an incredible place; the opportunities to be inspired, make a difference, and grow as a person are seemingly endless. From joining Greek Life, to getting involved with campus organizations, to taking the time to get to know professors and peers, the true magic of HPU lies in taking advantage of all that’s before you.
When I cross that stage in just a few days, I’ll be sad for all that I’m leaving behind, but also excited and grateful. It’s exciting to enter the world and be able to go anywhere, do anything and figure life out one step at a time. I’m grateful for a university that prepared me, friends that shaped me, and organizations that helped me learn and grow. While its farewell for now, the lessons, friendships and memories are sure to last a lifetime.
