Dear College,

Well, four years — that’s all we had together. It’s still hard to believe that it’s over. There are a few things we need to discuss before I move on to “adulthood”.

First, how do you do it? How do you make some days feel infinitely long but each year feel like it passed in the blink of an eye? These past four years have felt like a whirlwind — I have no idea how graduation came so quickly. Yet, at the same time, I recall just a few weeks ago my eagerness to graduate and be done with such long, exhausting days. How do you make the end so desired, but so sad at the same time? Bittersweet is an understatement. The end has been deceitfully sudden, sad, and exciting all at once and my heart is so confused.

Next, did you ever wish you could yell, “appreciate me!” at all of us, with each passing day? Did you ever wish you could just tell us to walk slower, breathe deeper, and hug longer? I’m sure you’ve seen many come and go without a second thought, but then regret hits. Did you ever wish you could warn us by saying, “You’re going to miss this.”

I wish you would have. I wish you had told me to memorize the sound of each of my friend's laughs. I wish you could have slowed down those moments where we were all together, doubled-over making fun of each other, and reminded me to memorize the way each person made my heart feel. I wish you would have said, “Take it all in, you won’t want to forget how this feels.”

But college, you weren’t all great. You challenged me and there were moments where you made me want to be anywhere but with you. I cried because you made me really care about something. I thought I cared too much, about a lot of things, but I only cared because you made me fall in love with the campus, the people, the programs, etc. And from those tears and those long days, I learned about you, others, and myself.

Lastly, you introduced me to people who taught me courage, resilience, patience, selflessness and much, much more. These people became my mentors, my competitors, my motivators, my challengers, and my best friends. You were a home away from home to me and you provided me with a family away from my family. In four years, these people changed my life and will forever be a part of who I am.

College, I owe you the most sincere “thank you” of my entire life. Thank you for the memories, the laughter, the heartbreak, the friends, the tears, the growth, and for everything you’ve given me these past four years. Four years — that’s all we had together — but forever, that’s how long I’ll remember you.

Sincerely,

A Thankful Graduate