With summer coming right around the corner and the spring quarter coming to an end, the gloomy June days approach us and what’s to come. As a graduating senior for the class of 2024, leaving Riverside will be the hardest thing I will have to do. I will soon embark on a journey we call adult life, and I do not feel ready for its treacherous waters and uphill battles. For the meantime, I will walk slowly to class with Airpods on, envisioning that I’m in a Jesse McCartney video.
My Farewell to Riverside
To the Rivera Library, thank you for sharing your air conditioner on hot winter days. To the empty vending machines on the first floor, thank you for having snacks and providing me with a meal after back to back classes of not eating. I will cherish the memories I had at the basement with my writing friends. To the third and second food study rooms that stayed empty after 8pm, thank you for providing me with a study space to lock in and eat snacks while somehow making me fall asleep after hours of studying. I was able to build strong bonds studying here for hours and I will always love the library for allowing me to complete many homework assignments.
To the Orbach Library, I enjoyed eating wingstop here and studying until 3am during finals week. Your rows and rows of bookshelves made for a studious environment compared to my bedroom where I fell asleep many times. I am grateful for the 40 pages of work you printed with your industrial printer. Dates here were filled with snacks, Red Bulls, and long hours of yapping and locking in. Your proximity to the Glen Mor market made you special. Thank you for keeping me safe while I studied on the third floor by myself during the Fall Quarter.
To the Barn on campus where alcohol and burgers are served, thank you for allowing me to make connections with my friends after class and helping break the ice after a mimosa or two. To the delicious Cesar salad, I will always forever see you in my dreams and wished that I had eaten one more salad before leaving.
To the coffee shops in downtown Riverside, I fell in love with your ambiance and the excitement that comes with studying at a coffee shop. The coffee crawl to find the best coffee and study atmosphere was by far one of my favorite memories.
To the bars in downtown, thank you for taking me out of my shell with my peers at school and for allowing me to feel like myself after two shots of tequila. Thank you to the DJs that played 2000’s rap and R&B, singing my heart out with my drunk friends really felt like a true bonding moment I will always remember and tell my grandchildren about.
I want to thank my amazing friends in the Creative Writing Department, you have carved the way for me to receive exposure in a competitive field of writing and editing. Thank you for your encouragement and kind words toward my articles and fictional stories. I will carry our study hours at Coffee Bean in my heart forever and I hope we can continue to be lifelong friends and read each other’s stories. I hope that I can be there in your first book publication as well as for mine.
I hope to come to Riverside for my Master’s in Education and Creative Writing but for now, thank you to all my readers, family, and friends who encouraged me to continue writing. I love you all!