Reflecting

Every night, I take a walk around campus – rain, clear skies, or even snow, I take a walk. I use that time to unwind from the day, listen to my music, and reflect upon my experiences that day. Tonight, the walk was a bit more bittersweet, since it’s my last night walk. As I was walking around campus, I remembered my first tour this year.

A parent asked, “Would you do it all over again?” There was no hesitation.

“Yes,” I replied instantly.

And that answer is 100% accurate. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t change anything about my undergraduate career. When I applied to Holy Cross, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought I knew what I wanted from my college experience, but my four years here have proved me otherwise. I didn’t understand why being an exclusively undergraduate campus was so important. I didn’t understand the full meaning and value of the liberal arts education. And, most importantly, I didn’t know what to expect from the Jesuit values and identity of this college. If I could, I would come back to Holy Cross for another four years, even if it meant being the only girl from Georgia in my grade and not knowing a single person for the first day of school. The late nights, the difficult classes, the insane reading lists – I’d do it all over again. When I submitted my deposit back in April of 2007, I had no idea that I would be a double major in English and Medieval Studies; I had no idea that I would be as involved in the Classics department as I am, and I had no clue that I would be a ballroom dancer (shocking, right?!). I didn’t know that I would spend my junior year abroad at Oxford University and that I would find my true academic passion there. I didn’t know that I’d end up returning to Oxford  for graduate work. I didn’t know that I’d meet professors who would forever change my life, or that I’d meet some of the most amazing 18-22 year olds. I didn’t know or plan any of this. Everything just unfolded. The person who I am today – the one that is leaving the hill in a mere couple of hours – is not the person who entered those gates four years ago. I have Holy Cross and the professors that I met along the way for this, since both the school and my professors offered me so many opportunities and encouraged me to take as many as possible.

I can’t believe that I’m graduating in less than twelve hours. Although I’m sad to leave Holy Cross, I know it’s time – I’ve had a wonderful experience here, but this is just the beginning, as cliche as that might sound.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 27th, 2011 at 12:13 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Reflecting”

1. ed gawryszewski says:

   June 1, 2011 at 11:11 am

   colleen,just wanted to say your commencement speech was awesome!it was quite enjoyable to listen to in the 80 plus temperatures at Fitton field.As i was sitting there you gave me beautiful picture of HOLY CROSS.Thank you!