As we continue into the Spring 2017 semester, it’s always on my mind that this is my last one at St. Norbert College. Growing up and going through high school, I always knew I’d end up going to school here, which made my path easy to follow. Now, I have no idea where I’ll be in a few months, much less a year or two from now, and I’m finding myself growing more sentimental with each passing day.

Officially, as I write this, the countdown to graduation is ticking away at 99 days. That means that I have 99 days left as a St. Norbert College student, 99 days left to spend on this campus, 99 days left of my undergraduate schooling, and 99 days left of what’s been some of the most important years of my life.

When I came in as a freshman, I missed high school dearly. I was close with so many underclassmen, and actually loved where I grew up. Leaving felt wrong and weird. The fact that I didn’t really find where I fit in until late that first year didn’t help either. I was juggling two majors, too many classes and felt a bit out of place with even my closest friends by my side. When sophomore year came around, I knew where I fit in. I felt comfortable, and of my four years at St. Norbert, I’d say it was the easiest. There weren’t problems, I was content and things were good.

Then junior year hit and it felt like I’d been in a car crash. The year started off the way sophomore year had ended, calm and content, but it quickly sped out of control into what would ultimately be the most difficult experience of my entire life. Roommate problems sparked fires in our house, I lost almost all the friends I’d made in college, I developed severe anxiety, moved halfway through the year and learned what my limits are. The effects of my junior year still linger today over a year later, but I’m happy to say that I’ve moved on. Things have gotten better and suddenly, where a year ago I wanted nothing more than to be done and leave, I now find myself longing for more time.

I’m excited for graduation, absolutely, but a part of me wishes that I could go back to being a freshman. I want to walk into the library and find my favorite study spot for the first time again. I want to go back and eat turkey shwarma, quite literally the best meal in Ruth’s Marketplace, like I did with my roommate freshman year. I want to go back to sitting in my professor’s office and chatting about life, or struggling to learn how to work the copy machine that’s so consistently fought me for the last two and a half years of my job as music librarian.

I want to repeat all of the wonderful moments I had here, just to relive them one more time, but that won’t happen, and with graduation in 99 days, I have to use this time to make new memories. Ones that won’t be tainted by the trails I went through my junior year. Moments that will stick with me as I head out into the real world. Memories that will, quite literally, last a lifetime.

So to my fellow seniors - let’s make these last 99 days count.