From the start of senior year back in September, I made it a point to remind myself continuously to appreciate the UMass campus and everything around Amherst. No matter how windy or cold it was, no matter if the leaves were on the trees or not, and no matter how difficult my day was, I knew that in a year I’d miss this little walkable city and all the freedom that comes with being in college.
I never thought I would call Amherst my four-year home, but within the first week of classes freshman year, I felt it. After Thanksgiving break of freshman year, I texted my friends telling them what time I’d “get back home”.
The back half of my college career was much quieter compared to my first two years. Living in North Apartments as a junior and senior and occasionally visiting the areas of campus I frequented the most my freshman and sophomore years, I grew a love for the person I was and all the mistakes I made along the way.
The south part of campus from the Honors College to the Student Union was where I spent most of my time as a freshman who was just getting used to campus. I stayed in the areas of campus I knew the best and rarely ventured out. I learned that it was everyone’s first time living away from home and that no one truly knew who they were – and that’s okay.
In Oak Hall and Maple Hall, I developed life-long friendships. Over a table in the dining halls, my friends and I shared every meal and talked about every little bits of our lives. Every achievement, every exam, every paper, and every heartbreak was between us and Frank breakfast, Hamp lunch, and Berk dinner.
We realized just how much of our lives up to that moment defined us and now reflecting back on these four years, we’ve realized how much we’ve changed and that’s truly a beautiful thing.
I not only learned who I was as a person but grew confident in the career I want to pursue. In South College and the Integrated Learning Center, every paper and article confirmed that I was meant to write.
When I started covering football and hockey for The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, I found a home on the first floor of the Student Union and in the McGuirk Alumni Stadium and Mullins Centers’ press boxes and press conference rooms. I discovered a new way to combine my love of sports and creative writing through feature and profile writing. I learned on my Twitter/X account that people actually turned to me for team coverage. I realized that the life and career I fostered here in Amherst will exist after I graduate even if I’m not typing away on the first floor of Worcester Dining or in Worcester Cafe.
Early in my final semester at UMass, my friend asked me if I regretted anything in my time at college and my immediate answer was no. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without every success or mistake and spending time regretting decisions takes away from my journey of self-discovery.
This campus is where I found myself. It’s where I learned who I was and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. When people ask me if I’m sad about graduating, I tell them I’m not. I’m ready for whatever the next chapter of my life is, I’m ready to start a career and keep discovering who I am as an adult.
Of course I’ll miss UMass. I’ll miss living with all of my friends, being able to walk everywhere, using YCMPs (or “fake money” as I like to call it), seeing the trees change with every season, getting blown away by the wind every time I pass the library, and all the little freedoms that come with being a college student.
But now it’s time to build a home somewhere else. I did it once before, I can certainly do it again.
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