Graduation, here I come.
After four years at Binghamton University, two and a half at Pipe Dream, countless hours of procrastination, hundreds of printed pages and one crazy senior year, I will be leaving the Southern Tier in a rush of other graduating students, praying to any listening deity that I have learned something that sets me apart from the rest.
But I guess all you have to hope for at the end of your four years here is that you like the person you’ve become. Sure, a job and marketable skills would be great too, but isn’t the experience half the draw of college?
At the end of the day you hope that you’ve actually learned something useful and that the good friends and wonderful faculty you’ve become close with will stay in your life. You hope that your relationship with your BFF (best friend forever, of course) will live up to the acronym. You hope that those trapped within the realms of hypocrisy and bureaucracy will realize their errors, and that you’ll realize all of yours in turn.
And that you share the lessons you’ve learned with those who come next.
This may come as a surprise, but the University isn’t run by President Lois DeFleur, or even spokeswoman Gail Glover — not really, anyway. Behind every prominent authority figure is an assistant or secretary — someone who knows the real deal and makes sure things really get done. While, of course, there are exceptions to this rule, there aren’t as many as you might think.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with several of these wonderful people and they are overworked and underpaid, they (mostly) love the students and they do not get anywhere near the amount of respect and praise that they deserve.
So here’s my praise. Thank you. I would not have found my way around the University without your help, and without the friendship of Ms. Kellie Duff I might not have found my way around anything. I would consider myself extremely lucky to have as much love in my heart as she does.
Graduation day will be a mixture of extreme emotions, but I don’t think they’ll be negative. May 17 is a well-timed end to a good run.
I think it was said best by J.D. in the “Scrubs” series finale (an hour of television you really should make time for): “Truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone, anyone, feel a little better. After that it’s all about the people you let into your life.”
It’s been good, Binghamton. See you later!