Yesterday was Commencement at my school, St. Mary's College of Maryland, for the Class of 2009. The commencement speaker was Frank Warren of PostSecret, which I thought was really awesome. I didn't get to listen to his speech or even see the ceremony cuz I was working across campus at the store, but I still thought it was cool that he was the speaker. He posted his remarks on the PostSecret website today, so at least I still got to read what he had said. He talked about making sure you keep in touch with all of the people who made your college experience wonderful, because those are relationships that should be cherished.
So I thought ahead two years to when I myself am going to be graduating from St. Mary's College of Maryland. I imagined somebody saying something like that to me then, and well, I haven't gotten the same type of college experience that most other people get. I'm a commuter, I still live at home, so I haven't formed the same types of relationships that campus residents get with their roommates and other people that live on campus, since well, they're on campus together all the time. Granted, I have met a good number of cool people on campus since I started there, and I definitely knew more seniors this year from working with them in the Fishbowl as fellow math majors and all, and it would've been cool to see them graduate, but I still never got really close to them to the point of hanging out outside of school-related stuff. It does make me a little sad, because it would've been awesome to chill with them and get to know them more.. I might still see a couple around if they get jobs locally, or if they're staying on for another year for the MAT program, but I dunno.
I think my experience at my own commencement in Spring 2011 will be even more different in the fact that I'll have already earned my B.S. in Math like six months prior b/c I'm graduating a semester early. I'm going to work crazy hard this coming school year and finish up my Math major and Econ minor, then I'm taking a semester abroad in Italy just to finish up the required credit hours. So I can get my sense of accomplishment and actually making it through my undergrad career in December 2010. My last semester of college (assuming I don't go to grad school, which I'm really leaning to not wanting to go..) is going to be in Italy! It's going to be awesoooome!
Anyway, even though I haven't gotten a "typical college experience," I know I'm lucky. It's been two years since I started college, but I still have my four best friends from high school (my lovely LC Girls :]). We may not see each other as often anymore, but I consider us to still be close. We haven't all moved away or anything and had to really work to keep in touch, but I dunno. I've lost friends even before high school ended.. I know that it happens, and it sucks, but it helps me really realize who my true friends are and who I'm truly blessed to have, you know? I have some wonderful people in my live and I am so glad. I know who the people are that count, and even if they're not my college buddies, I've known them for even longer and I think that's even better. I really hope we don't end up losing touch some day. We're all getting to that point in our lives where we're really starting our own lives; Samm and Kurt are getting married in two years.. Fields and I are pretty serious, and I think Tommy and Jess are, too. We're going to be starting our own families and really branching off, so it is possible that we'll lose touch, but I just really hope it doesn't happen. We've been together so long, and been through so much, we just gotta keep the LC Girls going. :]
So I thought ahead two years to when I myself am going to be graduating from St. Mary's College of Maryland. I imagined somebody saying something like that to me then, and well, I haven't gotten the same type of college experience that most other people get. I'm a commuter, I still live at home, so I haven't formed the same types of relationships that campus residents get with their roommates and other people that live on campus, since well, they're on campus together all the time. Granted, I have met a good number of cool people on campus since I started there, and I definitely knew more seniors this year from working with them in the Fishbowl as fellow math majors and all, and it would've been cool to see them graduate, but I still never got really close to them to the point of hanging out outside of school-related stuff. It does make me a little sad, because it would've been awesome to chill with them and get to know them more.. I might still see a couple around if they get jobs locally, or if they're staying on for another year for the MAT program, but I dunno.
I think my experience at my own commencement in Spring 2011 will be even more different in the fact that I'll have already earned my B.S. in Math like six months prior b/c I'm graduating a semester early. I'm going to work crazy hard this coming school year and finish up my Math major and Econ minor, then I'm taking a semester abroad in Italy just to finish up the required credit hours. So I can get my sense of accomplishment and actually making it through my undergrad career in December 2010. My last semester of college (assuming I don't go to grad school, which I'm really leaning to not wanting to go..) is going to be in Italy! It's going to be awesoooome!
Anyway, even though I haven't gotten a "typical college experience," I know I'm lucky. It's been two years since I started college, but I still have my four best friends from high school (my lovely LC Girls :]). We may not see each other as often anymore, but I consider us to still be close. We haven't all moved away or anything and had to really work to keep in touch, but I dunno. I've lost friends even before high school ended.. I know that it happens, and it sucks, but it helps me really realize who my true friends are and who I'm truly blessed to have, you know? I have some wonderful people in my live and I am so glad. I know who the people are that count, and even if they're not my college buddies, I've known them for even longer and I think that's even better. I really hope we don't end up losing touch some day. We're all getting to that point in our lives where we're really starting our own lives; Samm and Kurt are getting married in two years.. Fields and I are pretty serious, and I think Tommy and Jess are, too. We're going to be starting our own families and really branching off, so it is possible that we'll lose touch, but I just really hope it doesn't happen. We've been together so long, and been through so much, we just gotta keep the LC Girls going. :]
