"What are you going to do after graduation?"
Boy, don't I wish I knew.
All I know is that I will walk across the stage, get my (expensive) piece of paper, maybe shotgun a beer in celebration of surviving these tedious yet priceless years and hug my cat. After graduation, I'll probably update my Facebook profile saying "Graduated from James Madison University." I'll clean out my room and apartment 2511 in Harrisonburg along with my three roommates. We'll probably have to paint our chalkboard wall back to a normal color and patch up all the holes and scrapes that we made during our time here. Our graveyard that commemorates all the nights we don't remember will be taken down and thrown out. We'll say goodbye to our neighbors, our deck that faces the mountains, and Leo the lion statue that sits on the deck. We will turn in our keys and pool bands to the leasing office.
In one week I'll be registering for my last semester of classes. It's my last 'hunger games' for getting into the so few requirements that I have left. I'll never have to wake up at obscure times or 'take a bathroom break' during a class to go and register during my time slot.
I don't know what I'm doing after graduation. I'm not going to grad school. I don't have a job or an internship lined up waiting for me. I don't know where I'll be living. Honestly, I don't even know what I want to do with my degrees.
Once I graduate, I don't know who's going to stay in contact with me and who's going to drop me like a hot potato. I'll pass down my fraternity letters to my little and exchange my nightly library groutfit for a cap and gown. I'll never get student discounts again and I will finally never have to keep track of my JACard. I'll never have holiday breaks and going out on a Thursday will look washed-up.
Gone will be the nights where I would sit in my roommate's room and watch World of Dance. Gone will be the times where we all sit around and debate if we should go out or stay in. I will no longer have access to a free gym membership and free football tickets. When I come back to visit, will I be welcomed or will I feel awkward and out of place?
I'll say goodbye to my home for the past four years. I'll go to Backcountry and Brickhouse one last time. I'll cry on the quad for old times sake and I'll try one last time to pet a quad cat. I'll walk through Forbes and Harrison Hall; the two buildings that I sold my soul to and I'll thank my professors for giving me their wisdom and being so patient with me.
So what am I doing after graduation? I don't know. But I do know that because of my school and the relationships I formed, I'm sure I'll be alright.
