Excuse us. Please, give us a minute. We're not good at goodbyes. We don't need to tell you - today is officially the last day of spring classes at MSU.
It's the last day of school, and Alice Cooper couldn't be prouder that school is, in fact, out for the summer. If you're graduating, you've probably already attended your last undergraduate class here at MSU, and you're making that leap from student to grown-up -whether you want to or not.
To the graduates: You'll be told over and over how proud people are of you this week and how you're finally an adult - whatever that means. Whether you walk across a stage to applause or get your diploma in the mail, you're going to be reminded ad nauseum of your accomplishment. It might feel like winning the lottery, but to the kids in the gowns next to you, they might be dragging their feet and dreading life without another half-off Wednesday.
Graduation isn't a big yellow tent in your parents' backyard, and it's not a check from your grandparents. Sure, it's just a piece of paper, but it's proof of your commitment. That diploma says you've invested years of your life, years of study and certain discipline into making your remaining years the best they can be. Whether you've flown under the radar as a super senior or are graduating super-koopa-troopa-laude, be proud. Your university, your student newspaper and everyone who has graduated as a Spartan before you is proud of you, too.
If you've graduated from MSU, you've had fun at MSU. One of the most redeeming qualities about this university is the community that it truly is. Anyone who has stuck his or her head out of the dorm room door on Welcome Weekend of their freshman year found that out quickly. MSU is among the most inclusive universities in the nation, and to find a graduate who's happy to leave it behind is to find someone who didn't make the most of the time here. You can't make a big school out of a small one. But anyone who's been a student here for four years knows how easy it is to carve a small one out of our campus.
You're not going to remember many details about classes. You probably won't remember how poorly you did on that one test way back when and you'll probably glance over how you aced the one after it.
You're going to forget what your least-favorite professor looked like, and you'll probably forget a lot of your college friends' last names are. You'll forget a good deal about your time here, but if you've done it right, you won't be walking away devoid of pleasant memories.
You'll lose touch with friends, and maybe with roommates. You might be starting a new life in a state or country hundreds of miles away, and the only connection to your time here might be the diploma stashed in a closet or hung on the wall. You'll have pictures of your friends, and you'll have memories that will convince you that MSU was four - or six - years of fun.
It's because MSU is four years of fun. It's proud of you, so be proud of yourselves, Class of 2004. You're a Spartan in the real world now, so go make us proud again.
