This issue: It's so hard to say good-bye to yesterday

It is hard to believe that this experience is almost over. It seems like yesterday that I was helping my parents pack the car to come here; now I am contemplating packing the car for the very last time.

Coming back here was both exciting and scary. I was so excited to have the opportunity to finish what I had started years before, but I was afraid that I would not be able to handle it all. I came with the mindset that "I don't need these people. I am an adult with a life at home; all I want is the diploma." I thought that I would never relate to anyone here, that no one would get me. I would simply be known as the "grown-up" living on campus.

I soon realized that none of that was true. The relationships that I have built here have become some of the most important in my life. I could not imagine what my life would be like without knowing whom I know now.

I have also come to understand that I value the ability to get an education. This whole college thing is something that too many people take for granted. Believe me, I know it's hard and sometimes classes drive you nuts and you just need a say off…but just think. What would you be doing right now if you were not here? Pumping gas? Scrubbing toilets? I remember the nights that I was scrubbing toilets. I just kept telling myself it wasn't permanent. I did not have to live my life this way. I remember praying that if God just saw fit to make things change, I would make something of myself.

And now, I realize that I am a little scared. What happens next? I mean, I know grad school and all that, but what then? I will have to cross that bridge when it presents itself.

VWC has helped me to become a mature and focused individual. I knew what I wanted when I cam here but now I know that it is achievable.

I allowed myself to open up and meet people and give back. It is the best thing I could have done. My life is richer because I allowed myself to have this experience. For all students who may think that just because they are beyond 21, this experience has to change, you are wrong. You get as much out of college as you put in, so get involved.

I am so glad that it has come to this. Here I am less than 30 days away from one of the biggest days of my life. This path would not have been possible without the many individuals I have met along the way. I realize now that the real story are all those who have made this possible.

To Dr. Ruehlmann, my biggest cheerleader. Thanks for allowing me to discover my talents and gifts as a writer. I owe a major portion of my current and future success to you. To Dr. Minnis, thanks for being such a good role model as a professor. You are a great teacher and I will miss your sense of humor, even if you and I are the only ones that laugh at your jokes. To Dr. Merlock-Jackson, thanks for pushing me beyond me. I now believe that I can do anything, especially teach.

To Diane Hotaling, my encourager. You have constantly reminded me to keep my "balance" literally and figuratively. Just knowing that I have you in my corner has allowed me to make it through some rough days. I am eternally grateful. To Kelly Jackson, thanks for giving me the chance to be your "right-hand girl". Interning with you was amazing; I will miss our conversations and platters of shrimp nachos.

To my sorority sisters, what an amazing experience we have had. I could not imagine being connected to a better group of women. I only wish that we had had more time together. To the lovely ladies of the Sigma Omicron chapter who will be here after I am gone, keep this flame alive. Remember the goals of our founders and the hundreds of thousands you represent every time you wear the pink and green, it is a serious matter.

To the four who help me make the "fist", you know who you are. I am so proud of each and every one of you. Keep up the good fight and stand for truth and integrity.

To my counterpart, I will love you forever and will miss you like crazy. You know that I am here for you and wherever I go, you are always welcome. My door and my refrigerator are always open to you.

To the great gal with blonde hair who lived with me in Johnston/South/Johnston, you are the most amazing sister/friend I have had in a long time. Thanks for all the nights you listened to me cry, scream and laugh. We must hit Krispy Kreme one last time!

To my partner in crime and fellow owner of many a Chanello's Pizza, I will miss you. Living across the hall from you was great; I will miss having such a wonderful neighbor.

And last but certainly not least, to my "little sister". The one, who reads my mind, thanks for being trustworthy and loyal. Thanks for loving me no matter what. I will miss you like crazy. You are a capable and intelligent young woman; always believe that.

My life will never be the same, just different. I am so honored to be a Marlin, you should be too.



When I first came to Virginia Wesleyan, I was told that these were going be the best years of my life. I heard that I was going to make life-long friends and I would begin to view everything differently.

VWC was nice, but I wasn't convinced. I said, "No, no one can replace my Jersey girls." Here it is four years later, and I was right and very, very wrong. No one has replaced my Jersey girls. We are as close as ever and beat the odds by remaining close friends as we matured. But as time went by, some people here at VWC began to grow on me, too.

As I look back on my time here, I'm flooded with memories, many more than I realized I had created. Did the time really go by that fast? It seems like yesterday I was arriving on campus for pre-season soccer. Can we slow down this process? I'm not ready for it to be over. I've just started to come out of my shell. I have just started to become who I am. I came here to get an education and play soccer. I did both, but also so much more. I look around the campus, and realize that it was here that I discovered who I am. This never would have been possible if it weren't for the people I met here.

Now I'm scared. I'm scared that I may never again talk to some of the people who I met here and who now mean the world to me. They helped me become me.

Graduation is less than a month away. When that day comes, May 14, what will I do? Since I first arrived on campus, I said, "I can't wait until I graduate." Now that the time has come, I can wait. I am in no hurry to leave. What is this, another chapter in my book of life that I'm going to close and not look back on?

It can't be. This place has become too much a part of me. For the first time that I can remember, I am not looking forward to the summer. It's not going to be the same. Each time I have gone home for the summer, I was coming back to see those faces that have come to make me feel safe. But I'm not now. This time when I go, it will be the last time. I am not ready for that. I can't bring myself to say and accept the goodbyes.

Who knows what's next? Yeah, a job and graduate school in the future, but when will I see those faces again? How do I leave the people I have lived with for the last four years of my life? Some know me better than my friends at home. There is not one person that I have met who has not taught me something about myself. They have helped mold the young lady that I am today. I came to VWC a shy, homesick 18-year-old who didn't want to talk to anyone, girl. I'm leaving a loud, say hi to everyone, mature, 22-year-old, adult.

My thanks has to begin with Coach Bowers, because if he hadn't recruited me, I wouldn't be here. He made this all possible. Of course I would thank my parents. They have supported me from day one.

Since the beginning, my soccer girls have been there for me and, I hope, I for them. I couldn't have asked to play for a better team. Without my "Eggie Chicks" and "Gummies," campus life would not have been the same. The Marlin Chronicle staff, thank you for making me feel like I always belonged, I wouldn’t of wanted to of spend my Tuesday nights with anyone else. My 803 Bogies, I couldn't have picked anyone better to learn, mature, grow and pay bills with. My sorority sisters, I never knew being a part of something so special could make me feel like this. And to the one that's been there since day one, you know who you are. College would not be the same without you. I have watched you grow and mature into the beautiful woman that you are today. What do they call you? "Life-coach?" That's what you are. I would not be half the person I am today if it weren't for you.

Even today, I'm still meeting people that just amaze me. Why couldn't I have met them sooner? People come into our lives everyday; some stay and some go, but everyone is there to teach you something about yourself. So thank you to all who have helped me grow into the person I am today. Everything happens for a reason, please believe that.

Please accept these few words of wisdom before I go. Laugh as hard as you can, cry when you want to cry, tell people you care about how you feel as often as you can and, to quote Brittany Taliaferro, "Don't be a shoulda, woulda, coulda kid."

I leave you with the words that greeted me when I arrived. These will be the best days of your life. Don't take anything for granted. You'll miss it. The memories will last forever. I'd give anything to do it all over again and not change one second of it.