Wait, What? & Cranes

Abbreviated Life of a University Scholar:

1) Rejoice in the freedom of having almost no degree requirements

2) Worry over how to explain your major to others 

3) Bond with other u-schols (as you now call yourselves) studying for GTX courses

4) Freak out spring of junior year because it's time for your exit interview

5) Pass your exit interview

6) Try to enjoy senior year as you rush to finish your thesis

7) Defend said thesis

8) Graduate

Wait, what? 

I know it is time for me to graduate and go on to another place. Yet, I can't help but feel the beginnings of a little bit of separation anxiety. Baylor University is my alma mater. Think about those words. The phrase means "nourishing mother." Baylor University is my nourishing mother. My professors, my classmates, and my sisters have come together to help create the young woman that I am today. They have not only been a part of shaping my character, but also transforming the way I think, enabling me to be at once more critical and more charitable. It is in this place, with the help of these people, that I realized who I could be.

It won't be easy to leave. 

Aside from my professors, who probably definitely don't read this, there are two groups of people who will be so difficult to leave. One is my Cranes family. Alpha Delta Pi is, of course, the second group. I've said a bit about my sorority before, so I'm going to give a little more love to my fellow Cranes.

Crane Scholars is one of those groups that I just stumbled into. I had the good fortune of having a good relationship with one of the professors and also knew some people who loved the program so much that I knew I had to apply. Without these people, the e-mail that asked for applications before the start of sophomore year probably would have gone unnoticed. Now, you could just go here to read more about the program, but there is a little more to it than they say there.

Each Friday symposium provides a time for all of us to slow down, enjoy a wonderful meal in a professor's home, and connect with each other as we talk about important issues. As we grew together, the conversations changed. At one time we talked about classes, homecoming, or some other innocuous subject. Now the discussion has turned to graduation, plans for the future, or memories of times past.

Then there is retreat. It is one of the few retreats that I have ever been apart of that was actually a retreat. Moon River Ranch is a beautiful place where we all come together to laugh, play, talk, and even sing on rooftops under a blanket of stars, unplugged and unburdened by the rush of university life. It feels surreal. The imperfect perfection that is retreat cannot be sufficiently described here. It must be experienced to be fully appreciated.

If it isn't already evident, Crane Scholars has given me the gift of many memories and friends. It was, in many ways, just what I needed--although I didn't even know it. Next Monday, I'll have one more picture to add. It will be one from our last formal dinner together as undergraduates. There is something to be said about good food and great conversation leading to the deepest of friendships. 

Friends, I will miss you all dearly. But for now, gaudeamus! Let us rejoice in each other's company as we finish out our time as undergraduates at our alma mater, Baylor University.