The wisdom of a graduating senior

BY MIJAI LEWIS / VN COLUMNIST

Dear class of 2018,

We made it – despite what people think about us.

We made it – through getting up early in the morning to going home late at night.

We survived our professors, whether boring or full of high-pitched energy.

We lived to tell of another day after eating cafeteria food.

The amount of sleep we lost just by pulling an all-nighter is going to pay off.

The amount of stress that we put on our selves just to get a good grade and exceed our goals is going to pay off.

The nights when we cried and thought college was not for us – well, I guess we survived those, too.

The friends we started with in freshman year may have turned out not to be our friends at the end, but that’s okay because we made new friends.

In the beginning, we probably didn’t know what we wanted to do with our major, but now most of us know who we want to be.

We achieved a lot during our time at Detroit Mercy, whether through joining an organization or a sport, being part of orientation or serving as an RA or even helping our community.

And when they see us walk across the stage, people will know that we made it.  

 

Dear class of 2019,

You guys are right around the corner.

Some of you can see the finish line.

Some of you are already praying that your last year will go by fast because you just want to get out.

And it will.

That’s something about your last year, whether in college or high school. It always seems to go by quickly.

At the beginning of this year, I already had senioritis.

I prayed to God that the days would fly.

I tried to think about time travel.

I even pictured myself having a time machine or a remote to allow me to click forward.

I had that common mindset of “I don’t care about college anymore, I just want the school year to be over.”

But after the midterms, the days went by in a blink.

You guys are going to be the big dogs now next year so set an example for the lower classmen. 

Teach them the ropes and how to get things done.

 

Dear class of 2020,

You’re going to be juniors this coming fall.

I just want to say good luck in college.

Enjoy life to the fullest, continue to work hard, try to find study groups and try not to procrastinate a lot.

Make sure you use all of our campus resources, and keep your resume up-to-date.

Lastly, find a mentor who is going to help guide you to achieve your goals.

 

Dear class of 2021,

Do not procrastinate.

I understand that in high school you were able to procrastinate and still get your work done and still get a good grade.

But this is college. When you procrastinate and you don’t turn in your homework on time, you are actually hurting yourself.

The college already has your money.

Ehen you don’t put in your work, some professors might ask what is going on.

But they’re not going to bug you like your high school teachers did, because you’re an adult.

You need to handle your own business.

Another thing is it’s okay if you switch majors, and it’s not the end of the world if you are undecided.

Let’s be honest: Some people have no idea what they want to be.

Some of my friends picked a major because they heard they would make a lot of money – before realizing the major wasn’t for them.

Choose a major that will make you happy and you will enjoy every single day, from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep.

Don’t just do it because of the money. Money can only go so far.

You will cry, you might even gain your Freshman 15 (or your Sophomore 15).

You will bump into haters who will try to knock you down, but keep your chin high because you are going somewhere.

No doubt about it.

For all the students at Detroit Mercy, I’ll leave you with this quote.

“There will be haters, there will be doubters, there will be non-believers, and then there will be you, proving them wrong.” – unknown