For the collegiate class of 2017, the conclusion of these exam-filled weeks from hell marks the halfway point of our college careers. I realized as I was looking at pictures of my younger sister at her senior prom that in the same length of time that it's been since my prom and right now, I'll be graduating college. That's mind-boggling, as it seems like just yesterday I was posting in the prom dress group on Facebook. The end of the world was upon me because some girl I had never talked to had the same dress. But somehow the world kept turning, and in the blink of an eye, I'm an upperclassmen in college.
Just two years ago, I was wearing my first Carolina blue T-shirt on college decision day. I was beaming with pride, filled with excitement, and trying to hide the inevitable anxiety of the huge transition awaiting me at the end of the summer. I didn't know what to expect other than that so much would change in the years to come. But, even after two years of countless wonderful, and sometimes tough, new experiences, some things are still just the same.
Two years later, I'm still almost always wearing a Carolina blue t-shirt. Except it's never the one from senior year, as that one shrunk in the dryer freshman year during one of many failed attempts to do my own laundry. The pride that I felt on Decision Day two years ago has not subsided, but has instead transformed from being proud of simply getting accepted to this renowned school, to pride for everything this university embodies. Despite the negative light that the media has had a field day casting on UNC, these past two years have taught me just how special this university really is. I'm proud of how our school's community has persevered and shown it's ability to bounce back in the wake of such scrutiny. I'm proud of the world-class education that I receive in the buildings that surround the breathtaking quad. I'm proud to be surrounded by such inspiring, diverse and passionate peers everyday. I am proud of our work-hard, play-hard culture, that puts studying and achievement first, but never fails to allow me to have a blast when I finally emerge from Davis Library after a long afternoon of studying. Each and every day UNC makes me more and more proud to be a Tar Heel.
The excitement about Carolina I felt on Decision Day continues to run through my veins two years later. I am excited about how far I have come and for how much more I will learn during the second half of my time here. Despite questioning just how much useful information I would gain from some of the seemingly endless gen-ed requirements during freshman registration (I'm still not entirely sure why a business major has to take Introduction to Country Music), I can't even begin to articulate all the things I have learned in my past two years. And this learning has happened just as much outside the classroom as it has inside. I have learned to be independent: do my own laundry (when I have been out of clean socks for three days), make my own food (even if it's Mac & Cheese the majority of the time), live on a budget (meaning eating cereal for dinner two nights a week), and successfully manage my time, despite this taking a semester (or four) to finally get down. I can't wait to see how much more I'll learn in the next two years.
Just like on Decision Day two years ago, I am still trying to hide the daunting anxiety about what the future holds. However, this time it haunts me every time I hear the words "resume," "internship" and "career," instead of "roommate" and "registration." Despite so much growth and change from two years ago, part of me is still the proud, Carolina blue-wearing high school senior, both excited and anxious for what is to come.
Two years from now (hopefully, as to avoid being disowned by our parents) the Class of 2017 will be in Carolina blue graduation gowns. We will be taking our own cheesy, fake-laughing pictures at the Old Well with our friends, the ones that we roll our eyes at while scrolling through our Facebook newsfeeds but still find adorable. After walking across Kenan Stadium, we will be moving on to our first jobs, internships or graduate schools. We will have to say goodbye not only to the incredible friends we have made here, but to this place that has become our home, a moment I can't even think about without wanting to cry. If the time between now and then flies by nearly as quickly as the two years since Decision Day have, I know for a fact I won't be ready to leave this wonderful place. Time needs to slow down or some UNC grad needs to invent time travel. The latter would be preferable because I know these years will be some of the best of my life that I will want to relive forever. Plus there are quite a few cute shirts that I would love to un-shrink and a whole lot of late-night pizza I would love to un-eat.
