Is this finally goodbye?

A part of my life is soon coming to an end.

It is spring 2013 and time to say goodbye after 19 years of school. That is almost two decades, and 82.6 percent of my life that has been spent in school, which is just crazy. What is my next step? Well, hopefully a job, but as of today, I do not know my future. I do not have a plan.

Come May 11 when I walk the stage in Wink Arena, I will be leaving Ferris; leaving friends; leaving family; leaving my job; leaving my home of five years. It seems I will be leaving a lot behind but taking a lot more with me.

This leaves me with a mix of emotions—excited, happy, sad, scared and anxious. When fellow classmates and colleagues talk about their classes next fall, I feel left out. This year it is me leaving; normally people are leaving me.

It is hard to imagine where I will be in five years. I do not know where life is going to lead me.

Though I am leaving, I hope to leave some of me behind and take some things with me. Over the last five years, I have gained more confidence, knowledge in various areas of studies and a better understanding of life in general.

I may not know where I will be in a month or five years, but I do know that my life experiences in college will help me in the next part of my life. Regardless of not having any plans, I have a great support system and am still young with so many choices ahead of me. I want to be able to experience more of the world, maybe travel if time and money permits.

But for now, I am going to enjoy my last few class lectures, my last few times with friends and appreciate the great opportunity I’ve had to attend college. Now, it is time to travel into the unknown, as scary as it may be.