I walked into Tamper (a coffee shop near campus) for a Tufts networking reception for the Gordon Institute, and I was relieved to discover many friends were already chatting and laughing over some delicious food. The Gordon Institute held the reception to introduce alumni from the Masters in Innovation and Management program (like a shorter MBA for engineers) to current undergrads, share info about their programs, and reflect on the Tufts experience. The director of the Gordon Institute, Prof. Kevin Oye, gave a heartfelt speech about being surrounded by such genuine, hard-working individuals who will be successful very soon, even when we don’t see it in ourselves.
On my walk back to my apartment from Tamper, I got hit by a wave of nostalgia and nerves about the future. The reflection comes with some good news – I signed a job offer back in December to work at Northrop Grumman in Los Angeles, CA in their aerospace rotational program!
So far this year, I’ve been too busy with my friends and school work to get hung up on discussing our inevitable graduation, and most people would prefer not to talk about it. But here I was, walking home, getting sappy about how I don’t want to move on and I’d rather stay around people who make me laugh until I cry and eat cheezits with me at 2 am. I thought about how long it took me to have the courage to go to an event like this solo, and that will probably be happening much more frequently in the upcoming year.
For high school juniors and seniors, I’m sure that moving away from home also introduces some impending stress. When the future is murky and undefined, I find myself thinking of all the things I am losing instead of what I am gaining.
My high school to college transition was mostly smooth, but I still get nostalgic about my high school friendships. But, I always keep in mind that those relationships are not stagnant and stuck in reliving high school. I can still have fun with them, and even as we all move on, those relationships can still grow. The Great Gatsby was remarkably on point in this situation; as difficult as it is to move on, you can’t recreate the past without disappointment, so it is time for us to look forward.
I intend to stay very close with the supportive, fun-loving, fabulous friends that I found here at Tufts. The fact that I feel so comfortable here now might be a sign that it is time to try another challenge, especially because I know my friends are also going on to other amazing endeavors. I’m so proud of them and proud of myself, so I’ll make the most of these next three months and welcome the future as it comes.
A note to the people who I force to read all these blog posts (you know who you are):
OK, that's enough feelings time for tonight. I'm out!
Feature Image Credit: "Hollywood" by Erick Gustafson licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0