“The days are long, but the years are short.”
Gretchen Rubin
When trying to think of how to describe my college years, all I could think about was this quote.
I get emotional as I find myself looking back on my time here at Penn State and all the memories it holds.
I am constantly daydreaming while I walk around campus with headphones on, teary eyed looking at all the beautiful views. Seeing Old Main and people laugh on the steps; it is something so little, yet so rewarding to see everyday.
I will never get this little life back that I created here in the past four years. In a few short months, I will be one of the thousands who get the privilege and joy of saying “I graduated from Penn State.” But still, I feel so much sadness as I think about that day coming.
It is truly a feeling not many people have the opportunity of experiencing. Living with your friends, growing up together and forming friendships as close as family is what makes it so special.
What truly makes it so hard to leave this place is the realization of how much I have grown as a person here.
Penn State has given me newfound passions that will continue, even when I leave this place I called home.
I have accomplished lifelong dreams of traveling the world while I was a student here at Penn State. My study abroad program has changed my life in so many ways, including my mindset and how I look at things.
I used to look at the glass half empty but now all I see is the glass half full. I like to maneuver myself into uncomfortable conversations because they tend to challenge myself and my thinking.
I look at things with more curiosity, compassion and determination because at the end of the day, we all have something we can learn from one another.
Life is simple, yet we make it so hard.
If we take a step back to look at the bigger picture, we realize that the things we let bother us are so minuscule compared to what actually matters. “The world is big, but what you can do with it is bigger.”
Penn State has done nothing but support my dreams. In fact, this school has proved to me that I can do so much more with myself than I ever thought I could.
Before I know it, I am going to be dressed in my cap and gown, forcing a smile across my face as I receive my diploma in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Mom is wiping her tears away as her last baby graduates college. Dad is trying to hold his tears in so his baby girl doesn’t see him cry.
It is an uneasy and indifferent feeling.
Thank you, Penn State. Not only from me, but from all the nostalgic seniors who have everything to owe to this amazing school. You are everything to me.
Always and forever, We Are.