Class of 2017, you're about to graduate after years of hard work, sleepless nights, and what seems like thousands of exams. Your excitement understandably, is at an all-time high. But, maybe so is your anxiety. You can't wait to graduate and see what the future holds, but at the same time a major chapter of your life is ending. You've spent four years of your life here and have grown more in the last four years than you have in your entire life. Change is extremely difficult, but necessary. With final exams on the horizon, it might be hard to take time to reflect on your journey through college, but I hope that you find the time at some point to do so.
Life will never be the same in a couple of weeks. Many of the people you've interacted with on campus, you will never see again. Relationships will change and friendships will fade, as time, distance and the different paths of life take effect. Even with access to social media, it is said that a person is lucky to hold on to just 3 or 4 close friends from college. So, cherish every moment of your time with them. Drink and have fun yes, but take some time to reminisce. Take some time to say thank you for everything.
If you have a moment, take some time and walk around campus and reflect to yourself about how much you've grown and accomplished. The years seem to fly by so fast, that somehow they morph together. Let it all sink in and let yourself realize that you did it, you did something extremely difficult, extremely admirable and extremely rare. You got yourself a four year college degree.
Whether you're excited, nervous, scared or indifferent about leaving college, I know you're happy to walk across the stage and grab that degree. It takes you years to earn it, but only seconds to grab it. So when you're taking that walk, as they call your name, slow down a bit and saver it. And remember that life is not a race, it's okay to be nervous about the future. It's okay to not have a clear path of success just yet. Life is hard, no one ever said it was easy, it takes time. So, pace yourself and take a deep breath. Your journey does not end when you grab that degree, it is only just beginning.
