A letter to my fellow seniors

I remember all the good times I have had here: from roaming the college in the middle of the night to the friends I have met and been with since day one.

I cannot seem to stop replaying all the memories that have happened on this campus.  It seems silly, but there are so many experiences that have happened here that I never would have thought I’d be lucky enough to experience, or unlucky enough.

The memories that I’ve made will stick with all of us forever. Now, as I approach that stage, I can’t stop thinking about all of the chances I didn’t take, but also, all that I did. I can’t stop thinking about everything that I missed by not always being here. But, in the same way, it is more about the fact that Maryville College has been the place that taught me more about myself than anywhere else in the world.

And yet, here we are. May has officially come, and Seniors, we have made it. There are many words that I wish I could have said, so now I will take my chance.

Ready or not, here we come. To my fellow class of 2017, this one’s for you.

It’s for every laugh that we have shared over the stupid things college has brought us. For every dumb decision we have made and all the consequences that followed, because, if we are being honest, we have all had one or two of those.

It’s for every tear that has fallen because someone has hurt us. Lost friendships and relationships are going to be something to deal with for the rest of our lives, but it matters more how you take it. Through all this pain, we have discovered who we are and who is there for us.

It’s for every angry moment that a professor has assigned yet another hard paper, test, report, or assignment that seems unreachable. Because I mean, it’s not like we have five other classes that have the same amount of homework.

Through all the late nights of homework, unforgettable moments, laughter, tears and memories, we can still hold our heads high and say that we have made it.

As we move on, class of 2017, think about all the people you have touched and will touch. Life is not about who gets there the fastest, but who took the time to care when no one else did. Seniors, it is our turn to care for all the others out there. If there is one thing that Maryville College has taught me, it is the chance, the option and the choice to care.

Each of us is so different. We value life for different reasons, but we have one thing in common, each and every one of us. We all chose to come to Maryville College and allow our lives to be changed forever.

We all only get one chance at life. At times, I feel like I have blown my chance, but I haven’t. None of us have. We have instead opened doors that we never would have, thanks to MC.  There are times when I forget how lucky I am to have Maryville College on my resume.

There have been times that we have hidden behind our failures because we have had them. We have failed tests and papers, failed relationships and failed with other aspects of life. But we have overcome. Isn’t that what we have always been trained to do? Overcome and make something beautiful out of the darkness.

Each day that passes, we choose life. We choose to make something out of ourselves, and I couldn’t be prouder of the people that the class of 2017 has become. There is nothing better than seeing each day that passes and each of us learn a little bit more, become a little bit more certain of ourselves and choose the right thing that is best for us.

Class of 2017, there is so much I have to thank you for.

Thank you to the bad memories—they taught me to move on to bigger and better things; to care about myself in ways that we all need to at some point in time.

Thank you professors for giving us all the hard assignments—they taught us to persevere and appreciate all the little things that have taught us to be better than our original selves.

Thank you to all the awkward moments before college even began—I’m glad that we have learned to carry ourselves like the men and women that we have become.

Thank you to all of our tears – they served their purpose and showed us that a good cry can sometimes solve all problems.

And thank you to you, my fellow Seniors—thank you for being you. You’ll never know how highly I think of you and how much I will miss it here at Maryville College with you.

Lastly, thank you Maryville College. Thank you for giving me a chance four years ago. There is nothing that could mean more than the chances I took here.