Streaking the hollow. Karaoke at Mc’s. Avoiding the seal. Even stepping into a puddle of pee on the elevator in Tower. I’ve done it all in my time at Wittenberg. These past four years have been filled with countless memories. My experience at Wittenberg has been everything I hoped college would be, and so much more.
Wittenberg has given me an education that has changed me and made me the woman I will become. It has given me friendships that will last a lifetime, and opportunities that I will always cherish. But even in reflecting on these truths, I am not nostalgic. I am not longing for more time in Hollenbeck, for another year of weekends at Station or meals in the CDR. I don’t wish to move back into Firestine and do it all over again. I’m ready to pass my light, and I’m looking forward to the day the class of 2017 gets to stomp the seal.
That is the reality of being a second semester senior. The final days of college encourage us all to think about what this school has given us, to consider the memories, both good and bad, and to laugh at how much we have changed since we showed up four Augusts ago. But even as we reflect, we do not long for the past. As we consider what Wittenberg has come to mean to us, we consider what it has equipped us to be. It has prepared us not to stay in the bubble a little longer, but to break free and pass it on.
I encourage my classmates to do a number of things as we ride through these final days: reflect, but not with sadness; prepare, but not with stress; and look forward to the future, but don’t wish away the rest of your days. Appreciate the moments when your friends are right down the street or the hall. Revel in the truth that never again will we be surrounded by so many brilliant minds. Thank the people who have truly made a difference in your life during your time here. Write notes or make meetings with the professors and advisors who have invested so much time and effort into you. Be generous in your expression of positivity. Show gratitude and show love. Think about what you want to accomplish, realize you are surrounded by support and accomplish it. Live your last 100 days right.
