How do you say goodbye to the place that changed your life? For years, I have always associated Camp Ramah Darom with making me the person I am. I spent 21 years of my life there and it increased my relationship with Judaism. It made a boy from Mobile, Alabama learn more about what they can do to make an impact and gave me some of the best friends and memories I have.
Ramah might have built and made me the person I am but the University of Alabama changed my life. As my time at UA comes to an end I have to think about how I have changed for the better and what UA has done for me not only in the last five years but what will be on display the rest of my life.
It's insane to think almost five years ago I stepped on this campus not knowing what was in store. I was an awkward 18-year-old from Mobile, Alabama who was just somewhat lost. I didn't know where I belonged, who I needed to be and which people should be in my life. Every day seemed to be a new lesson for not just college but life and even though my freshman year was so long ago I still use it as a reference for what I need to continue to become.
Something I always struggled with was who I needed to be and freshman and sophomore year provided me the answer. I needed to be the guardian for my friends. I had to be the bigger person and take initiative even if I did not want to. This led to me realizing I was meant to be the person who helped others and put them first. The risk was big but the reward was even bigger and it came from when my friend said, "I have a sense of security when I am with Jacob."
I realized my purpose. I didn't have to struggle with who I should be because I knew who I was and that there were people who helped me get to this realization. College helped me understand who I was.
As a fan of the hit show, "The Office," I think back to Jim's last interview with the camera crew. He talks about his job and while at first, he didn't think there would be an impact, his life changed more than he expected. Imagine going back and watching a tape of your life. You could see yourself change and make mistakes…and grow up. You could watch yourself fall in love, watch yourself become a husband, become a father. You guys gave that to me. And that's… an amazing gift. I sold paper at this company for 12 years. My job was to speak to clients on the phone about quantities and types of copier paper.
Even if I didn't love every minute of it, everything I have, I owe to this job. This stupid... wonderful... boring... amazing job. That's what I think about when I look back at college. I didn't like every moment of it and there were times I thought parts of it were boring but everything that happened in college helped make me a better person and prepare me for all that the future holds.
I can't say everything that college did for me. I didn't fall in love, I didn't become a father but I did see myself change. I saw myself use the qualities and characteristics that I had prized and built upon it to become the person I wanted to be. College made me not want to be afraid anymore or try and be someone I wasn't. College might have given me a great education but I believe it also made me a better person.
