My thoughts on graduating: A letter to the class of 2016

Well, you have 20 days until you graduate from San Francisco State University. Everybody is anxiously looking for extra commencement tickets and packing up their apartment before moving back home. Yet it’s hard to imagine, here we are as we prepare for our last few weeks of finals of our undergraduate career. Well, let me just say, you did it. We did it class of 2016.

Personally, these past four years have been really exciting, tiring and life-changing because of the people I’ve met and the things I’ve experienced. Of course, one can’t speak for everyone but what I can say is that time doesn’t stop for anyone, and we have to keep moving forward. So, for the time being here are a few things to keep in mind leading up to graduation.

What I learned in college is…

1. Enjoy your own company and experience solo adventure

Don’t let others prevent you from having experiences because they don’t want to be a part of it. Go see that artist you love and post some really awesome photos on Instagram!

1. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t make it your passion

I learned this my freshman year when I scheduled an advising appointment to talk about declaring a major. I came to SFSU as an undeclared major in hopes of doing something that involved some science or math. I had this mentality because I got good grades in math and science in high school so naturally I would study that in college, right? WRONG! Do some research, take different general education classes from different departments, and find out what interests you and makes you happy.

1. Find a safe outlet to express your feelings

At some point during your undergraduate career, you might find yourself feeling lonely or even a little depressed. So, it’s best to find a safe outlet to express some emotions, maybe even some anger. Take up a sport, write in a journal, find someone to talk too if you’re having a hard time. Whatever you do, don’t be too hard on yourself when things go wrong.

1. And last but not least, things change.

People change, and so will you. Plans change, and so will yours. There’s so much more to experience after graduation and so many new people you’ll get to know. Don’t get discouraged if your plans don’t work. Test your abilities to adapt to new situations and don’t be afraid to take risks.

Remember graduates, we made it this far in our career, so let’s keep moving forward. We are going to do great things and serve our communities. Don’t get discouraged. We got this.