The other day, I met with my good friend Joey for dinner. We hadn’t seen each other for a while, so we had a lot of catching up to do. The conversation started with the usual “What are you up to?”, “How’s work?”, “Where are you going this summer?”, and the like.
As the evening progressed, the conversation moved on to Loyola. We were reminisced on Freshman year: 3rd Friday, Introduction to Business, late night IHOP runs, late night cram sessions, the concerts we attended, Halloween’s in the Quarter. That’s when I said the words I promised I would never say, “Those were the days!”
Wow…What happened to me? Did I really get old that fast? I thought over this for quite some time. Even as I lay in my bed (in my on-campus apartment), I tossed and turned mortified by my elderly statement. Am I really old now?
That’s when it hit me…I’m not old; I’ve just changed (a lot).
I came to Loyola as a young Alabamian who really just wanted to have fun and go to class. I wanted life to be easy and really didn’t want to be told what to do. I did very little at first: I went to class, I ate, and I slept, and I ate some more. Later on into the year, I decided that I needed to get involved, so I pledged a business fraternity and began attending numerous on-campus events.
As sophomore and junior year came, I joined other organizations such as the Loyola Ambassadors, Beta Alpha Psi; I even became a Sunday school teacher at Holy Name of Jesus Church next door. Classes got harder, so I learned to study more. Late night cram sessions were replaced with week long test preparations, and my involvement in student groups gave way to leadership roles. I had so much more responsibilities. Free time became a thing of the past, so I learned to budget time.
I am now a senior. I have just 2 weeks until I walk across a stage in the Superdome to receive my diploma. Although, I am far from being a senior citizen, I have really grown up. College seems to do that to you without you even realizing it. Part of the Jesuit ideals embodied here at Loyola stresses education of the whole individual and personal growth. It seems that they have accomplished their goal.
In less than four years, I have made a personal transition into adulthood. I look back with no regrets. My only complaint is that my time at Loyola is almost over. I am now prepared for the next step…graduate school!
