A few weeks ago the university posted the list of “commencement candidates” on the second floor of Canisius. So I went to check the list, and yes, I am in fact graduating. I found my name printed on the list of seniors set to graduate in six weeks and I thought, is it possible to be taken off the list? Could I possibly stick around for another four years of beach living? Also recently, I got the pamphlet for Senior Week in my mailbox. Senior Week, one last week of freedom to spend with the people we’ve lived with for four years, and forged our young adult identities with. Am I ready to leave these people yet? Then I came home for Easter and found the newest J. Crew catalogue in my pile of mail. I found myself just as interested in the suits as I was in the tank-tops and flip-flops. Dare I say I’m ready to graduate college and move on to the real world? Four years ago I had no idea what to expect in college, or what I would learn. There are three important things I’ve learned in the past four years that I’d like to share. Go out of your comfort zone. Get involved in SOMETHING, something new. Be it intramural sports, a club (may I suggest The Mirror?), FUSA, volunteering or anything else you’re interested in on campus, do it. I can’t explain how shy I was in high school, and if The Mirror can help me get out of my shell, involvement can do wonders for anyone. Intern. Being an intern is probably the most valuable thing I’ve done at Fairfield. I’ve learned that good grades can only get you so far, and when it comes time to look for jobs, having some kind of experience is going to get you even farther. So no matter how much you dread waking up in the morning, putting on work clothes and getting even closer to the real world, suck it up because it’ll be worth it in the end. Don’t forget to have fun. Sure, I probably could have gotten A’s in almost every class in college had I sat in every night and studied, but would I have really experienced college? It’s the nights out with your friends that you’re going to remember in 10 or 20 years, not what grade you got in HI30. I’m not saying to slack off, but everyone needs time to cut loose every so often. In my time at Fairfield I’ve grown more than I could have ever imagined. But at almost 22 years old I’ve done all the growing I can in a college environment, and I think as seniors we’ve all reached this point. So, since it’s not socially acceptable to live in a house on the beach with kegs in the backyard for the rest of my life, or to pull a Van Wilder and spend a good part of the decade at FU, on May 22 I’m going to graduate. The future is big, scary, and perhaps full of unemployment (the destiny of a journalist), but I’m ready for it.
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