The end of the spring semester means a big day is just around the corner: graduation. If you have friends preparing to enter the “real world”, you may experience a startling realization – this could be the last time you see them.
     It’s unsettling to think about never hanging out with your long-time compatriots, but it’s the inevitable result of the collegiate experience.
     You may have moved into an on-campus dormitory and developed a strong bond with a suitemate. Or, you may have joined a student organization and become good friends with your co-workers. Either way, the people you’ve grown attached to most during your higher-learning tenure will move on and these few remaining weeks could be the last days you share with them.
     Obviously, there is the summer, but with a growing majority of young adults working during the college off-season, the opportunity to go to parties, catch a flick at the movie theatre or simply hang out becomes an increasing rarity. Before you know it, your college degree toting friends are getting a full-time job or heading to graduate school in another state. The chance to spend time with them is gone.
     We’re experiencing this situation at The Mace & Crown. Three long-time colleagues – Christina Licud, Ben Weathers and Carley Rehberg – are graduating. This triumvirate trio has made an indelible impact on the paper and it’s hard to imagine not walking into the office and seeing their smiling faces. They’ve also become good friends. The drinks we’ve enjoyed, night clubs frequented and parties crashed have resulted in a bond, along with a lifetime of memories. There will be a void and a yearning to return to the past. Fortunately, these feelings are finite in nature and will pass.
     However, given the Facebook, MySpace and AOL Instant Messenger world we live in, staying in touch is much easier than past generations. Of course, if you’re a college graduate with a full-time job, surfing Facebook will probably drop on your list of top priorities.
     The closing weeks of the spring semester will largely be devoted to cramming for finals and writing papers, but it should also be a time to enjoy your good friends readying themselves to take the next “big step” in life. Reflect on the good times you’ve shared and enjoy the few times you have left.

     Don’t forget, the time will come when you’re the graduating senior preparing to say goodbye to ODU. Keep this in mind and make a point to enjoy college. Many students try to rush through school hoping to graduate sooner rather than later, but once we get to the finish line we have to grapple with the fact that the people we know will eventually become the people we knew. Don’t rush it. Enjoy this time. There’s a reason people reflect fondly on their time in college. It’s a totally unique chapter in your life that cannot be reproduced. We must have a healthy appreciation for this period in our lives, and the people we’ve encountered.

sports@maceandcrown.com