I put off writing this article for as long as I possibly could mostly because I didn’t know how to put what I wanted to say into words. I can’t even count how many times I started writing just to delete everything because my thoughts weren’t coming out right. So here it is: my goodbye to TCNJ.
It just doesn’t seem possible that I could be saying goodbye to the place where I’ve spent the last four years of my life. People really aren’t kidding when they say that time flies.
I can distinctly remember moving into my dorm freshman year. I took part in Welcome Week not knowing what to expect from college. It had been the biggest decision I had ever made at that point in my life, and I was both anxious and excited for what was to come. And these past four years sure have been a rollercoaster!
There were times spent in the library for hours on end stressing about tests, projects, and papers, and there were also times where I was laughing so hard with my friends that I couldn’t breathe.
I had a phenomenal experience in college, and I’m so proud of all that I have accomplished. I owe all of my success thus far to TCNJ, and although I didn’t realize it the previous semesters, I understand now how much of an impact that this school has had on me. Slowly but surely, TCNJ became my home.
Although I expressed how much I couldn’t wait to graduate and get on with my life many times (especially when school work was getting the best of me), I’m now having trouble expressing just how much I’m going to miss this place.
When I think about the clubs and organizations I joined where I made some of my best friends, I’m amazed by all of the things we were able to achieve together. When I think about the amazing internships I had and how much I gained from every single one of them, I am constantly blown away. Sometimes when I think about what has happened over the past four years, it all seems impossible.
I was constantly challenged academically, professionally, and socially, and I have TCNJ to thank for allowing me to flourish, even when I was struggling. Eighteen-year-old me never would have thought that I would be president of an organization or that I would be graduating Summa Cum Laude with a job lined up after graduation. College is not easy by any means, but I truly believe that you get out of it what you put into it.
No matter how hard I try, I know I’ll never be able to truly describe how TCNJ has changed my life. College, and life in general it seems, is filled with a bunch of moments that stand out in my mind, even though at the time, they seemed insignificant. The laughs, the tears, the smiles, and everything in between were all worth it. I will always be able to look back on my time at TCNJ fondly, and I know that no matter how many years pass, I will always be able to call this place my home. I’m not a Lion for four years; I’m a Lion forever.
So, with that, TCNJ, I say goodbye, but you can bet that I’ll be back (and as an alumni).