As I sit here with only 19 days until I graduate from college, the same thing has been stuck in my head the last few weeks...did I do it the right way?
College is only four years of your life, but those four years could be the most important. Those four years are your opportunity to decide who you truly want to be.
I go to Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York. I can say with a full heart that choosing this college to dedicate my life to these past four years was the best decision I have ever made.
The opportunities I have been given have been endless. I am a Senior Resident Assistant, Senior Class President, a member of the SGA Senate, a Dyson Scholar, I represented the Student Body in the search for the new President of the College, and much more.
The memories I have made here have been priceless, the friends I have made are ones I am eternally grateful for, and this place truly made me recognize who I want to be.
I made the ultimate transition at this college. The people here motivated me, they inspired me, and they never gave up on me. The blood, sweat, and tears I have dropped all over this campus in my efforts to transform my body are embedded here forever.
All I can say to those about to embark on their college careers is that you have to make the most of it.
Don't worry about what others think about you, don't just focus your attention on fitting in, or doing things to be cool.
Be yourself, and try and decide who you want to be. It's a chance for you to shape the rest of your life the way you want your life to turn out, and many don't view it like this.
I had a wake up call, and that call is something I will never forget.
I urge you to make the most of it, because believe me, it goes by faster then you could ever imagine.
There are so many things I'm going to miss. The endless meals that Jacqueline and I get at the high tops. Geoff and I doing everything together. My Res-Life staff who mean more to me than they will know (Being referred to as Supreme Leader-thanks Tom). The late night Senate meetings with some of the best people I have gotten to know on this campus. Those same meetings where I know Cal will say something that will be so funny I will most likely crack up. Passing off what I have learned to others (One of the best parts of this year was showing Eddie the ropes of it all). The beautiful sunny days on this beautiful campus, and so much more
I accomplished everything I hoped to achieve when I set off on my journey to college. While some things may have not gone my way, I learned from every single experience.
Everything I did was with the best intentions. What I intended to do was make the other people around me laugh, smile, and try to make their day just a little bit better.
Did I do it the right way? Well if I leave this place in three weeks, and people remember me as a person that only wanted to make them happy and be a helping hand, than yes...I did it the right way.
So I guess I'll end with a thank you...thank you Mount, you changed my life forever.