Why It's A Good Thing To Be Sad During Graduation | The Odyssey Online
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Why It's A Good Thing To Be Sad During Graduation

The sadness sheds light on how lucky we are to be a part of it.

Claire Paulsen
May 24, 2016
Dickinson College
241
Why It's A Good Thing To Be Sad During Graduation
Claire Paulsen

Graduation is one of the saddest days for underclassmen to be on campus or social media, and for me this year has definitely been one of the toughest yet. As a rising senior I can't help but think about growing up and the future, two of the worst things in the world. At the same time, all I can think about after graduation is how lucky I am.

I am lucky to have chosen a college that has allowed me to grow so attached to it that I am already sad a year before I have to leave. I am lucky that my school has allowed me to grow up so much in the last three years and given me opportunities I could have never imagined.

I am so lucky to have gotten to study abroad, join a sorority, and become a leader. I am lucky to feel connected to certain places on campus, special professors, and even specific days in the cafeteria that I never want to leave. I am lucky.

I am lucky to have friends that make watching graduation so hard. I am so lucky to have had three amazing years on campus with some of my best friends. I am forever grateful for every lesson they have taught me and every memory they are a part of.

So much of me is because of them and I can't even imagine how I can be half the role model they were for me. I am lucky I got to see their shining faces every day and I am lucky that I have more smiles waiting for me next year. I am lucky that I know most of my goodbyes are not forever because the bonds I have made on campus will last beyond the limestone walls of campus.

I am lucky to feel like I am losing a part of my family with these graduates because to me that means that my college experience could not be any more positive or full. I am lucky.

I am lucky that I was able to see my best friends graduate, and share in their accomplishments with them. I am lucky that I go to a school small enough where the entire community celebrates the victories of the students, and I can not wait until I have my own chance to be celebrated and remembered.

I am lucky that I have a school and community that make it so hard to think about leaving because they are so positive and safe. I am lucky to have found myself in the Dickinson College Community.

While watching my friends and the Class of 2016 leave me behind I feel distinctly unlucky, I know how lucky I am to have a place that's hard to leave, and friends that are hard to say goodbye to. I am forever grateful to Dickinson College for giving me a place to love, and I can't wait for one final year with my luck.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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