Honors students are known for pursuing perfection and excellence in achieving their goals. Now that graduation is approaching and we’re making plans for what seems like the rest of our lives, we need them to be fitting. It is essential that we work at the right company or school. We’ve been studying hard for many years, telling ourselves and those around us that we’re preparing for adulthood, for our careers, but now we’re being faced with the big decisions that come with the end of our undergraduate education.
Somewhere during our time here at SNC, we realized that it’s okay for some of our time to be spent being a normal teenager or a young adult. We had some fun and let off some steam. Our days evolved and we became better, more efficient students; we spent less time studying or writing essays, and more time sitting in the caf or in a local coffee shop, laughing at something absurd. We realized the time we have in college is not infinite, and we have to make the most of it. There will always be more work or tasks to complete, but there won’t always be another night out with people who live just down the hall, or another chance to live right next door to your best friends.
We’ve experienced highs: finding the perfect accessory at DPCO, winning an award or scholarship, or getting a good grade on an exam we definitely thought we failed. Of course, we’ve also experienced lows: nights spent cramming, a loop of thoughts in our heads about how we’re not good enough, moments where we stopped believing in ourselves, and, worst of all, losing someone important to us. Looking back over the past four years, they seem short, but only a few moments throughout these years were spent thinking that the horrible feeling or slump would never end. Hopefully, our happy and exciting experiences have compiled to amass far more than these moments.
However, we are graduating in uncertain times. There are many things we still don’t have the answers to, but we are forced to continue on in our journeys. While many of us are grieving opportunities we weren’t able to get, we’re still supporting one another in the accomplishments and offers we do receive. Even though we may not be starting out at what we define as “the right place,” maybe that’s where our journeys are meant to begin. Our perfect path will find us, if not right away, then sometime during our careers.
As we get closer and closer to graduation, we find many memories are resurfacing. Things we know we’ll miss, events that will be our last on campus. We remember exploring SNC, watching organisms moving under a microscope, whispering to our friend during class, trying new recipes in the dorm kitchens, getting late-night snacks at Phil’s or Dale’s, and stargazing with SPS. Then, we shifted off campus. Trips to Bay Beach, Fonfereck’s glen, and the New Zoo, Milwaukee concerts on school nights, sledding and ice skating during the bleak winters, and mini golf or frisbee once the weather turned. Even though the weather might be adding to our senioritis, we know the sun will come out and shine brightly on us for our Commencement. One thing we know for sure is that we will be surrounded by friends, loved ones, and fellow Honors students as we walk across the stage, and we will be ready to take on whatever we choose after graduation.
