It’s my own fault, really. I accelerated the end. Pro tip: even if you come in with a year’s worth of AP credits and manage to fly the coop (read: graduate from Bucknell) early, on purpose, you still don’t get used to being told it’s all over.
I’ve been trying to determine what it is I have to say that would actually be of use to anyone at all. In looking back on all the things I’ve gotten up to these three years in the middle of freaking nowhere, I have discovered that I really am involved. One of my goals coming into Bucknell was to do as much as I could in areas that didn’t necessarily fall into one of my academic categories, and I do genuinely think I accomplished that. Working in the Writing Center, working for the TLC, working as an arts/humanities research assistant, working as a tutor, working for the Bucknellian… maybe I worked too much.
But at the end of the day, I’m proud of myself for getting out there and doing things. I’ve made inter-class connections with some of the coolest cats out there (shoutout to Abby Katz and Courtney Keller, who will be bravely leading the Bucknellian after my departure). Every day, I look forward to venturing out into the world (campus) to see what there is to see. I love running into professors, current and old, and quickly debriefing what we’ve both been up to. Part of what enabled those connections was Bucknell’s smaller community and class sizes, sure, but I’d like to give myself a little credit for taking the time to go to office hours or chat after classes. I love walking past fellow students and having that “oh, hey, it’s you!” interaction, whether it stops at a mutual nod or extends into a bit of a catch-up. All of that would be a shock and surprise to the “me” of just a few years ago—extroverted tendencies? Get out of here.—but as I look both back and ahead, I see so many people I’m delighted to have spent time with, even for a little while, and even if those folks truly do not make any more appearances in my life once I walk across that graduation stage. I have loved the time we did get to have. I will miss you.
This is not to imply that my time here has been completely sunshine, nor overwhelmingly rainbows. Ups and also downs are sort of a given, especially these days. I hope that I handled those downs with as much grace as I could, learned from them, and successfully powered through. College, as the real grown-ups in my life never tire of reiterating, is a unique time. Never again will I be in this environment; I will, however, carry these experiences with me, and draw from them a strength (and, let’s be real, nostalgia— I can feel it already) that will undoubtedly help me to power through in the years to come.
I came to Bucknell to make someone else (very important to me) happy. I can confidently (and happily) say that I am leaving Bucknell having made myself happy. My friends have made me a better person. My roommate from freshman year—and I may be the first ever person in all of time to say this, but thank god for random roommate assignment—is going to be a best friend for life. She has made me a better person. My adventures, enabled largely if not solely by my location and activities at Bucknell, have made me a better person, or at least a more well-travelled and worldly one. “Superman” (2025) has also probably made me a better person, and I watched that a bunch at Bucknell, so that’s definitely relevant.
I have a lot of love for a lot of this place. I could not possibly name all of the people who have helped to make my time here, and my me, what they are. If you’re reading this and thinking “aw, you probably don’t mean me, though,” please rest assured— I do.
What I have to say that is of use to anyone at all is this: go downtown, walk into CycleUp Cafe, and get a bee’s knees latte. Tasty as hell. You don’t need my proselytizing about the power of love, or whatever; you need a delicious fun drink.
Godspeed, fellas. I wish you all the best. I hope our lives are terrific. Catch you on the flip side.
