Graduation is merely days away, thus meaning that the real world is not far behind. As the time approaches, those of us who are seniors cannot help but fall into a sense of nostalgia and think back to what will soon be referred to as “the good ole days.”

As I was sitting with a group of close friends at the Pub last week, we all recounted the great times we have had during our college days along with the lessons learned along the way. Some of those lessons were learned in a classroom but most were learned as we did our best to live “the total collegiate experience.”

If you were like me as a freshman, you had a plan for college knowing exactly what you wanted to be when you graduated and nothing you thought could change that.

Well, when I got to UTM I was a political science major on the golf team who had aspirations of becoming a campaign manager the likes of James Carvel and making a profound impact on the Tennessee political scene.

In my first month of college I learned not only the wonders of a random first year roommate who only makes it three weeks before dropping out, but that most importantly all previous plans I had for my life were subject to change.

As I traveled down the collegiate road I ventured onto many new paths and experienced new things that taught me something at every stop; whether it was being a part of SGA, leading a new PEP group each year, playing intramurals, the many internships, covering sports for The Pacer or photographing so many athletic and campus events. I now find myself approaching the end of this road full of memories not a changed person, but a more complete one.

I got that political science degree I originally planned for, but also added a communications degree and travel & tourism minor. While some of it was just for fun and to delay the inevitable graduation, it actually was that I could not make up my mind.

Although I learned a great deal from the many classes and events, nothing taught me near as much as the people I met along the way. Some have become great friends that I will keep forever and others it is just a fact of life I may never see again. Regardless, each will have a special place in my heart.

Hopefully during my time here I have made some contributions to make it a better place. Like any good institution though, it will continue on as myself and memories of the 2006 graduating class begin to fade. I can assure you though that the lessons of life I learned here will never fade. They will carry me through my new career ambitions and guide me as I take these first steps into the real world.

Before I go though, I urge you “don’t make those a priority who only make you an option,” and I leave with you a few phrases that have come to mean so much to me. Play hard but Pray harder, always vote, “1331” and GO SKYHAWKS!