I know I'm who I am today, because I knew you

I have one final essay to write in my college career. But it can wait a few minutes. Because I need to get this out.

This weekend was beyond question one of the craziest, fastest and most amazing of my college career. And I'm not going to go into all the details -- but it was one full of Collegian events -- the most emotional being today's picnic.

As dysfunctional a family as the Collegian can be -- today/night showed how much it means to everyone in it, and how much we all mean to each other. And my hurt aches a little just writing this and just thinking about all the amazing things that were said about all the seniors. It's not easy to stand up in front of the whole Collegian staff and speak about people -- but everyone said such wonderful things. And to stand up there and have friends, reporters and editors talk about me ... there are no words to describe that feeling. As well as to be able to stand up and talk about people who have meant so much to me these past four years.

Every single person I have interacted with at the Collegian has changed me in some way -- and that's the complete truth. There was so much more I wish I could have said to so many of the seniors at the picnic, but only so much time.

I am ready to step into the world, maybe scared and nervous about setting out on my own, but confident in my abilities because of the Collegian and the people there who helped me to grow and become so much more than I thought I could be.

I'll never have a family quite like the one at the Collegian again, but I can't wait to see all the wonderful things my friends end up doing. After all our hard work and dedication we deserve only the best, seniors.

This song basically sums all of this up. I know it's from a musical, but it really says it all.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CImGTTuEMEI