Goodbye for now...
Rachael Burbank
Issue date: 5/14/09 Section: Opinion
We must say goodbye.
Goodbye to the friends we've made and goodbye to the little bubble we've created for ourselves. We must move on.
For most, college lasts four years. For four years there has been a goal in sight; graduation. Throwing caps up in the air, shaking the President's hand, smiling at the camera.
What happens next is a beautiful let down of sorts. There's a freedom that arises like the first time you get your driver's license and have no errands to run.
You find yourself sitting behind the wheel of a car with no direction but all the resources. Then what?
In five years, some of us will still be in school, graduate or doctorate degrees in clear sight. Another smiling photo with another ridiculous crown on our heads.
Most of us will be working endless hours in two jobs attempting to pay off student loans.
Some of us could be collecting unemployment.
Many could be married and have toddlers running around their ankles while others are ankle deep in the Hawaiian shore giving surf lessons.
No matter what, we keep driving toward something. That destination changes throughout our lives.
Maybe we speed toward that paycheck or toward that future companion and forget to look in our rearview mirrors, only to get sideswiped or rear-ended.
Our cars are little bubbles we find comfort in. We have our music, our friends and our degrees plastered on our windshield.
Even if we get in a wreck, we will each walk away with something that lingers around each of the Pacific campuses, something that many high schools don't provide: support.
Think about who you sat next to during your high school graduation? Where is that person now?
More than likely, that person isn't still sitting next to you, maybe you don't remember their last name. Maybe you can't even remember your principals name or the valedictorian's speech. Where do those memories go?
Do they vanish among the balloons fading in the clouds?
To the class of 2009, please don't vanish in the world.
There is too much to get caught up in to lose sight of the other passing cars and opportunities.
Don't be afraid of changing lanes and taking detours. Just keep driving. Pacific University will be your vehicle to get to your many destinations.
Never settle on one because there could be a sudden dead end and you may have to push your car out of the mud in neutral after losing your shoes and cell phone.
You may end up at a gravel road with potholes, but you will always have the vehicle.
So keep driving.
Let's make a pact for 2019. Let's drive back to Forest Grove. Let's get out of our cars and laugh.
Let's laugh about how naive we were. Let's joke about how poor we were. Let's complain about how unfair that test was, but let's never cry over missed opportunities or regrets.
Let's meet in 2019 and remember when we last said goodbye.
Goodbye to the friends we've made and goodbye to the little bubble we've created for ourselves. We must move on.
For most, college lasts four years. For four years there has been a goal in sight; graduation. Throwing caps up in the air, shaking the President's hand, smiling at the camera.
What happens next is a beautiful let down of sorts. There's a freedom that arises like the first time you get your driver's license and have no errands to run.
You find yourself sitting behind the wheel of a car with no direction but all the resources. Then what?
In five years, some of us will still be in school, graduate or doctorate degrees in clear sight. Another smiling photo with another ridiculous crown on our heads.
Most of us will be working endless hours in two jobs attempting to pay off student loans.
Some of us could be collecting unemployment.
Many could be married and have toddlers running around their ankles while others are ankle deep in the Hawaiian shore giving surf lessons.
No matter what, we keep driving toward something. That destination changes throughout our lives.
Maybe we speed toward that paycheck or toward that future companion and forget to look in our rearview mirrors, only to get sideswiped or rear-ended.
Our cars are little bubbles we find comfort in. We have our music, our friends and our degrees plastered on our windshield.
Even if we get in a wreck, we will each walk away with something that lingers around each of the Pacific campuses, something that many high schools don't provide: support.
Think about who you sat next to during your high school graduation? Where is that person now?
More than likely, that person isn't still sitting next to you, maybe you don't remember their last name. Maybe you can't even remember your principals name or the valedictorian's speech. Where do those memories go?
Do they vanish among the balloons fading in the clouds?
To the class of 2009, please don't vanish in the world.
There is too much to get caught up in to lose sight of the other passing cars and opportunities.
Don't be afraid of changing lanes and taking detours. Just keep driving. Pacific University will be your vehicle to get to your many destinations.
Never settle on one because there could be a sudden dead end and you may have to push your car out of the mud in neutral after losing your shoes and cell phone.
You may end up at a gravel road with potholes, but you will always have the vehicle.
So keep driving.
Let's make a pact for 2019. Let's drive back to Forest Grove. Let's get out of our cars and laugh.
Let's laugh about how naive we were. Let's joke about how poor we were. Let's complain about how unfair that test was, but let's never cry over missed opportunities or regrets.
Let's meet in 2019 and remember when we last said goodbye.
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