I’ve been having a serious case of nostalgia lately: you know, the familiar sentimental yearnings for years gone by. Maybe its just the “Grey’s Anatomy” episodes I’ve been watching, but there’s this strong pang deep down in my organs that’s finally realizing how close I am to graduation. Really, really darn close!
And it’s a little freaky. Because when I think about it, it feels like only yesterday that I was saying tearful goodbyes to my parents and immediately forgetting them to spend long nights talking with my freshman hall mates. It feels like only yesterday that I came back from my first fall break and really missed everyone on campus. I could go on and on, but the emotion is still the same: there are only a few more months to go before I walk across that stage and am handed that sweet diploma. Talk about finality.
Leaving CNU will be like leaving a good friend who has helped you develop into your true, absolute potential. You never, ever forget those kinds of friends.
This is because the true college experience isn’t marked by how many straight As you make or how many people you know on campus—it’s about how much you grow as a person. In hindsight, I know now that CNU was the perfect university for me because it brought out all those qualities and characteristics that were waiting to be nurtured. Through failures and triumphs, happiness and sadness, going to CNU helped me become who I truly am.
And this, dear students and parents, is the indisputable value of the liberal arts education at CNU: students’ awareness of themselves and the community become heightened; they become more reflective about their own beliefs, choices and motivations; and their new-found sense of selves will help them personally, professionally and socially.
