I’m not looking back. There’s not much sap to savor, nor fanfare to elicit from me a tearful wave. I’m a transfer senior anticipating a December graduation — don’t roll out the carpet for me! I’m running on my way out. (Don’t gasp. There is no carpet for fall graduates anyway).

I won’t let you mistake my sarcasm for distaste — my time at Drake University has fundamentally, irreplaceably changed the trajectory of my life. In under two years, I have built valuable skills, gained wisdom from professors I respect and undergone the study abroad experience of a lifetime.  

With all this said, college is a thing I did. It’s not a definitive era, and I don’t need a grand farewell as I move along to my next objective. (No worries. There is no grandeur for fall grads anyway). 

I’m a non-traditional student — I took time off from college as a would-be freshman, later completing an associate’s degree and becoming a Bulldog soon after. I’ve never quite fit the image of the majority, and have had opportunities to observe graduate fanfare from afar. Somewhere along the way, I reflected on my own farewells, finding that not a single step of my life has been a contained event.

My high school years were not the most important in my life. My life did not revolve around my first few jobs. I did not cry as I left the comfort of my local community college — I had a heavy night’s sleep, got up and looked onto my next task. There has not been a step along my path that garnered my tears or speeches, and I don’t foresee my Drake exit any different. (Hush, now. They don’t give speeches to fall grads anyway). 

My milestones do not pain me in the leaving. They walk with me as I go. These steps of my life are not contained to the time in which I experienced them — they affect me today, and hold power over how my tomorrow will look. I catch up with beloved friends who knew my high school pixie cut. The challenges of my first few jobs still uphold soft skills on my resume. My associate’s degree put content in my portfolio that I treasure. Drake, too, has changed my life for the better.

Of course, it could be said that just a little fanfare wouldn’t hurt. I’m told a celebration of accomplishment is lovely. A congratulatory hurrah, perhaps. A handshake in compensation for the academic stress. But, as you may know, they don’t give these to fall grads. (No matter. I’m not looking back anyway).