As I sit back and reflect on my four years here at Bradley, a lot of memories swim through my head. I won’t bore you with the details, but for a lot of reasons, I’m going to miss this university when I move forward with my life.
About three or four months ago, I was a little nervous to graduate. Not only because I didn’t know what I was doing after school, but also because I’ve spent 90 percent of my life in school. Moving on from the classroom means I have to be a grown-up.
I can barely make dinner for myself. Most of my meals are sandwiches, pasta and frozen pizzas. Throw in a few burgers on the grill, and you have my diet for the year. How am I supposed figure out how to pay bills or make sure my house isn’t covered in garbage, all while working a job?
As I look forward, though, I have found myself becoming more and more excited for what the future has to hold after getting out of school. One of the main reasons is because I’m just so sick and tired of homework and going to class. I’m sure a lot of other seniors agree with me on this.
The other reason I’m excited to graduate is to be out in the real world – to get out and see what after school has in store for me. To work a real job and be able to say I’m no longer a kid (for the most part).
For a lot of people, that seems intimidating. But I’ve come to accept the fact that change is inevitable, and you have to be willing to accept it and roll with it.
I may be a hypocrite, as I’m planning on living at home after school and working at a job that’s only 30 minutes from my house. But living at home might only be temporary, and it’s only a matter of time until I’m on my own.
With that in mind, I can honestly say I’m still nervous about graduating from here. It’s going to take a lot of hard work to get to where I want to be. But in the end, I’m more than excited to take on the challenge.
What I’m trying to say for anyone graduating this semester or anyone graduating soon is — don’t be afraid. Life is always going to throw obstacles in your way, but don’t let those get in the way of taking control of your future.
