Graduating Early.
Stephanie Scalise
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Opinion
So, here's the scoop: I'm graduating. In my three short years at NDNU, I've met friends I can never forget and had experiences that I never thought were possible.
As I leave NDNU, I take a unique set of values that no other school could have instilled. Often, I reflect about those "couldas, wouldas, and shouldas." I think about what if I had gone to another school, or what if I had chosen a different major. Obviously, I'd be in different places than where I am today, but I am glad that I am not.
Over our years as young adults, we are forced to make decisions that we've never had to face before. The trick to surviving these decisions, once they are made, is to keep moving forward, because we might not be able to change the past, but we can learn from it and carry it into our future.
I, personally, will be carrying a lot into the future, but I am glad that I made my mistakes now, rather than in the future, when the consequences could be greater.
On this small campus, I was bred from a punk teenager to a responsible young adult because of the decisions I had to make, the friends I made, and the experiences that I had.
While we might complain about the size, the money, and everything else that seems wrong with this school, when it comes down to it, this is our campus and our education. It is our job to make the most of what is given to us.
Of course, there were times when I couldn't wait to leave, but there were also times when I couldn't wait to come back. As graduation comes closer, I wish I didn't have to, because I find comfort in my small jail cell, also known as my bedroom, among other places on campus, like the gym, or the cafeteria.
Part of my anxiety stems from the question, "Well, now what am I supposed to do?" and the other part comes from the fact that I am not ready to leave my NDNU family. These three short years are simply years that I would never change, but will always look back on with nostalgia and pride.
As I leave NDNU, I take a unique set of values that no other school could have instilled. Often, I reflect about those "couldas, wouldas, and shouldas." I think about what if I had gone to another school, or what if I had chosen a different major. Obviously, I'd be in different places than where I am today, but I am glad that I am not.
Over our years as young adults, we are forced to make decisions that we've never had to face before. The trick to surviving these decisions, once they are made, is to keep moving forward, because we might not be able to change the past, but we can learn from it and carry it into our future.
I, personally, will be carrying a lot into the future, but I am glad that I made my mistakes now, rather than in the future, when the consequences could be greater.
On this small campus, I was bred from a punk teenager to a responsible young adult because of the decisions I had to make, the friends I made, and the experiences that I had.
While we might complain about the size, the money, and everything else that seems wrong with this school, when it comes down to it, this is our campus and our education. It is our job to make the most of what is given to us.
Of course, there were times when I couldn't wait to leave, but there were also times when I couldn't wait to come back. As graduation comes closer, I wish I didn't have to, because I find comfort in my small jail cell, also known as my bedroom, among other places on campus, like the gym, or the cafeteria.
Part of my anxiety stems from the question, "Well, now what am I supposed to do?" and the other part comes from the fact that I am not ready to leave my NDNU family. These three short years are simply years that I would never change, but will always look back on with nostalgia and pride.
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posted 12/13/09 @ 6:22 AM PST
Thanks for such a sincere article.
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