It seems natural at the end of any odyssey, to reflect on your time spent along that journey. With graduation looming in a future much nearer than I would like to admit, I find myself plagued with denial and the longing wish to do it all over again. When I began my four-year journey at Syracuse University, I felt it would never end. Maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Looking back, with a heavy heart and a Facebook full of photos I only half remember, I know I’ve reached the end of the most fun leg of my journey. This seems like a good time to cry, or to reflect on the incredible times I’ve spent with amazing people at a university I will always hold near to my orange heart.

Yes, the education brought me to SU and yes, I am thankful for that. But, years from now, I probably won’t remember the classes I took, the professors I dreaded meeting with or the projects I stayed up all night to finish. I will remember and cherish the friends who witnessed me at my worst, and still wanted to go out with me the next night. I’ll remember the feeling of pride as I watched the men’s basketball team make it to the Final Four, twice, in my college career. More importantly, I’ll remember the friends who surrounded me during these wins, the ones who jumped and screamed in excitement with me and whose beer ended up spilling all over me. That’s a cold and sticky memory I’ll look back on affectionately.

The money I spent at the bars, and boy, I’ve spent a lot, is some of the best I’ve ever spent. I think my parents might disagree, but $5 for a pitcher of beer is seemingly nothing compared to the times I’ve spent laughing with friends, the people I’ve met and that one time I danced on a chair. From the nights we crowded into small dorm rooms our first year to the mornings we spent hungover on the couch of our sorority house during our last year, I remain incredibly thankful for my drunk friends, the stale air and the laughs I know we’ll share for years to come.

I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t seriously contemplate failing a class or two in the hope of staying here just a little bit longer. College isn’t that expensive, right Mom?

These past four years haven’t been everything I expected they would be, and they certainly haven’t been perfect. Believe me when I tell you, there were times I wish I had done things differently, but those days have passed. Almost every decision, regardless of how thoughtless or impulsive, taught me something. Those that didn’t come armored with a lofty lesson, sure as hell made for some good stories. I regret nothing.

As I bask in the glory that is my last month here on campus, I would like to say, “Thank you, Syracuse.” You’re on my long list of incredible friends I’ve made on this journey.