2008 Woodie Awards
It's hard to let go
The Jambar Editorial
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Opinion
It's finally, wonderfully, terribly over, and what a year it was at Youngstown State University. For some students, it was our last.
In between school, work and thinking about what's coming after graduation, the students of YSU managed to do some pretty amazing things this academic year.
The national spotlight cast on our city and school when three presidential candidates visited Youngstown.
The focus is also on YSU during the centennial celebration that ends at Homecoming in October. For those not leaving the university, that seems like a long way off. For graduates going on to bigger and better things, talk of college rituals may bring a single, nostalgic tear - or else an emphatic, "see ya!"
Some of us are saying goodbye to campus jobs and departments that have become like a second home. What will it be like when we don't see those people every week, every day? Do the friendships continue when the shared experiences end?
When we left high school, all we knew about college was that everything would change. For some it was like an arrival that we'd looked forward to for years. For others, the thought of leaving home made us almost want to stay in high school. Graduating from college is completely different.
When we leave this campus, it's the final goodbye to an era of our lives. No one can question our adulthood anymore, except perhaps car rental companies that refuse business from the under-25 set.
Not to knock higher education, but grad school seems like more of the same college life. For many of us, that doesn't feel like the right fit anymore. And what will the university be like without us? After we've poured so much of ourselves into this institution, we can't help but worry about our contributions lasting beyond our time here.
Letting go is easier when we see the students who'll take our place. When YSU's Press Day brought more than 400 high school students to campus Tuesday, we met them face to face.
Some were simply getting out of a day of classes, but the students who asked questions and explored campus are the ones who'll go far if they come to YSU.
As for the graduates, we'd like to thank the university for offering us challenges that forced us to grow beyond who we used to be. We're ready for what's next.
In between school, work and thinking about what's coming after graduation, the students of YSU managed to do some pretty amazing things this academic year.
The national spotlight cast on our city and school when three presidential candidates visited Youngstown.
The focus is also on YSU during the centennial celebration that ends at Homecoming in October. For those not leaving the university, that seems like a long way off. For graduates going on to bigger and better things, talk of college rituals may bring a single, nostalgic tear - or else an emphatic, "see ya!"
Some of us are saying goodbye to campus jobs and departments that have become like a second home. What will it be like when we don't see those people every week, every day? Do the friendships continue when the shared experiences end?
When we left high school, all we knew about college was that everything would change. For some it was like an arrival that we'd looked forward to for years. For others, the thought of leaving home made us almost want to stay in high school. Graduating from college is completely different.
When we leave this campus, it's the final goodbye to an era of our lives. No one can question our adulthood anymore, except perhaps car rental companies that refuse business from the under-25 set.
Not to knock higher education, but grad school seems like more of the same college life. For many of us, that doesn't feel like the right fit anymore. And what will the university be like without us? After we've poured so much of ourselves into this institution, we can't help but worry about our contributions lasting beyond our time here.
Letting go is easier when we see the students who'll take our place. When YSU's Press Day brought more than 400 high school students to campus Tuesday, we met them face to face.
Some were simply getting out of a day of classes, but the students who asked questions and explored campus are the ones who'll go far if they come to YSU.
As for the graduates, we'd like to thank the university for offering us challenges that forced us to grow beyond who we used to be. We're ready for what's next.
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