By MCKAYLA HOLSON, Editorial Editor
I swear I only blinked.
How is it time to be saying goodbye to Northwestern? I often joke that it feels like I’ve been here for 37 years, but it also feels like I was a baby freshman just yesterday.
You know, I’ve been trying to write something for a month now. I keep writing things, deleting them, writing them again and then deleting them again. I type them out on my phone, my computer and I write them out in my notebook, on sticky notes, and just random pieces of paper I find sitting around.
I just can’t sum up my time at Northwestern. I can’t explain in words the meaning of all the experiences and memories I have obtained while here. I can’t talk about all the friendships Northwestern has given me in this little goodbye letter. I could honestly probably write an entire book about my short three and a half years here. That’s just seven semesters. Seven short semesters.
I remember moving in early for band camp my freshman year like it was yesterday. I was fortunate enough to have my mom and dad with me and help me move everything in. My mom laughed because she saw my Flash action figure poking out of one of my boxes. She made sure he had a special place on my shelf. He sits on my windowsill at my house now. My mom also made my bed for me. For anyone reading this, just let your mom make your bed. Let her place things on your shelf, let her take pictures, let her help put your clothes away, just let her help. Same with your dad, or whoever might be helping you.
Something I think everyone should know, something I had to find out for myself, is that it is okay to fail. You just have to brush it off and do better next time. My very first “bad grade” here at Northwestern was my freshman year in comp I. I received a C on my first paper and I’m not ashamed to say that I cried a little bit. But it was 100% my fault and I felt awful about. I wrote it the morning of the day it was due, something I did in high school all the time, and expected to receive an A, like I did in high school all the time.
But I took that C, brushed it off and did better and tried harder the next time. You’re going to have bad grades. It’s not the end of the world. One bad grade doesn’t define you and your whole college experience. Also, know that it is better to receive a bad grade than to receive a zero. Just turn something in. It’s always worth it.
I learned that Northwestern is a pleasant environment filled with kind people. Staff, faculty, upperclassmen and even fellow freshmen were always prepared to help me when I needed it. I always tried to be that helpful person for others as well. Northwestern is nice because you’re more than just a number. Everyone around here actually cares. There are professors I had for one class and they still remember my name. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in a professor’s office talking about life, just working through everything.
I’ll miss Dr. Armstrong’s cooking (especially the lava cake that I wrote an entire essay over once), I’ll miss Ms. Miller’s kind words and guidance, I’ll miss Mrs. Brown’s ability to keep everything under control and her assurance that everything will work out (thank you for helping me and talking through everything when I was panicking about being able to afford college and finish all my classes in time) and, I’ve only had one class, but I’ll miss Dr. Antunes’ infectious passion for broadcast and his insane amount of knowledge.
I’ll also miss the other professors around campus. Every time I walked through the ag department and the sociology department, professors I don’t even know would take time out of their day to stop and talk. I also found a home within the theater department, and I had absolutely nothing to do with theater.
Even with that fact, the professors within that department always helped me and were always kind to me. I ended up helping out this semester, but even before that, they were always kind. I have yet to meet a professor I didn’t enjoy speaking with at this university.
Band camp was the first place I made friends, but I quickly found a family within the mass comm department. I’ll always cherish the friendships I made within this department. When I say we’re a family, I mean it. We always help each other with anything we need. I’m sure I would’ve made it through, but college would have been miserable without the Three Musketeers.
Ashley Watts and Megan Brown, thank you for dealing with my insanity. I’ll always remember the late nights in department, hurrying to get projects done. Times like when I fixed the radio studio around midnight and just laid on the floor and screamed, all the times getting breakfast at 818 (or the bowling alley on Tuesdays), all the coffee from the Vanilla Bean, trips to McDonald’s just to have a break from work and just everything else.
Of course I have regrets, but that’s just how life goes. I wish I had tried a little harder on some of my assignments, branched out and got outside of my comfort zone a little more, maybe minored in psychology and just soaked up more of my time here. It really does go by fast; people weren’t lying when they told me that. But I don’t regret coming to Northwestern and I don’t regret being a mass comm major. With the Sunday graduation quickly approaching, I am trying not to think about my regrets, but rather to reminisce in the experiences I have had while here. Fortunately for me, it’s a pretty easy thing to do.
I think I’ve drawn this out long enough. I eventually have to end it; I can’t type forever. I just want to end this by saying that it has been a privilege to write for you guys during my time at Northwestern. I will miss it, but I know this paper is in great hands and I look forward to seeing the paper, and its writers, continue to grow and progress. I might be biased, but the mass comm department is a true gem, and I will always be grateful that I chose to come here. This department, and Northwestern, of course, has taught me a lot about life and has provided me with experiences and friendships that I will look back on and cherish for the rest of my life.
I don’t want to say goodbye, but all good things must come to an end.