Dear Class of 2017:

It seems as if only yesterday that we were arriving to campus in mid-August of 2013. We were filled with nervous energy as we gladly accepted help from the hot-shots that helped our emotionally-unstable parents lug our laundry baskets and suitcases up flights of crowded stairs. We allowed our parents to hug us multiple times before feeling comfortable enough to make the journey back to our hometowns we reluctantly and readily left behind. We were greeted by our RAs who made us sit through a two hour briefing of dorm rules regarding overnight guests and alcohol policies that would be violated shortly after the meeting came to a close and we made our way down High Street for the first time. We laughed at the witty banners displayed by upperclassmen from slightly-worn sided houses and apartments. We observed the juniors and seniors that drank happily from yards and porches nearby, blasting familiar tunes.

It's hard to believe that's us now. We are facing our final semesters in our undergraduate career. Senior year is a crossroads between having the time of your life and finding the correct place to start your next chapter in life. The stress of capstones and internships lie directly ahead of us. Many of us are already looking at graduate schools, studying for the MCAT and LSAT, and applying for dream jobs.

But we also need to remember, that this is the last lap. This is our last opportunity to be young. This will be our last football season, our last fall fest, our last homecoming. This will be the last opportunity we have to have a downright awesome Halloween costume, so get pinning. This will be the last time we can truly immerse ourselves in our studies, so pick classes that you like and classes that will help you learn more about yourself and who you want to be. This is the last time we can go to basketball game. This is the last year we will walk through the Mountainlair and not tell the person next to us, "I used to eat here or I used to go through this building." This is the last time we can complain about being late to class because of the PRT. This is the last time we can use the Student Rec Center. So climb the rec wall and most definitely hop in the whirl pool.

But, what I encourage you to remember on this last lap, this final chapter is your friends. Friends that have become family and roommates that have become sisters. Take this last lap and run in stride with your best friends one last time. Take on every Taco Tuesday, sing loudly and clumsily at every Backdoor karaoke night, and definitely be first in line at Joe's on Thursdays. When your friends ask you to go to happy hour, don't give them a silly excuse. Dress extra obnoxiously for socials and make sure to wear those dresses you've been dying to wear at date parties.

Meet up with your freshman roommate for lunch. Say hello to all of the familiar faces you pass walking to class, because they will not be the same faces you see in one year's time. Take your senior year seriously, but also lightly. Remember to have fun, to make memories, to never waste a day. Good nights make life better. By the end, we can all confess we will be a mess. But when we are walking to receive our diplomas in May, I hope we all look back and think: Damn, that was one hell of a year.

See you on the last lap my comrades,

E