Fair Farewells

It is finals week here at Marietta College, and we are starting to say goodbye. We say goodbye to a school year, to friends who we will greet again come August, to textbooks and papers (for now). But the thing that I am having a hard time facing is the goodbye to the senior class I am starting to make.

Perhaps it is finally being an upperclassman that makes me feel this way, but the graduation of the Class of 2012 from Marietta College is hitting me pretty hard. I know many of these seniors well, and it's hard for me to imagine going to college without these people. This is the largest class of students I have looked up to over my three years, and to see them leave creates an emptiness I can't describe.

I feel like these people have forged a path for me, and now I have to pick up where they collectively leave off. At times, I wonder how I am supposed to be a senior next year; where are these people going to be to inspire me and show me what to do? Why are they going away?

Call me sappy, but I am struggling to accept that so many people are going to leave. And these people are headed to do the most amazing things in the most amazing places. They are going to profoundly and positively influence so many people; it would be selfish to expect them to do any less. Maybe I get too emotionally attached...

And yet, the Class of 2012 is a powerful, dynamic and vibrant one. These are people who challenge the status quo, who work for the good of those around them, who do a job and do it well. These are the people who have helped make me who I am.

So, if you are a senior, congratulations. You have earned everything your exciting future will bring you, and more. I hope you will find success and enjoyment in your days to come and will look back fondly upon your days at Marietta College, or at least upon the friendships you made that ultimately made your experience what it was. Good luck in the beginning stages of your post-undergrad years; I know you will all do well and persevere in the face of challenges and obstacles that might enter into your path. And thank you, for being a friend to me, and leaving an impact on me that will not wash off or fade away. Thank you for showing me the way when I did not know it was there, and pushing me to reach higher than I ever would have reached. You are incredible people, and I will miss you.

-Connor