Lasting memories...

Taking time out of my own finals schedule, work and a little bit of fun, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the past four years that I've spent at TLU. I have learned so much since my August 2005 arrival on campus, but I must admit, as much as I've learned in the classroom, I've learned really valuable lessons from life experiences beyond the classroom.

I can vividly remember coming to TLU. The night before freshman move-in, I was sitting anxiously waiting to arrive to campus bright-and-early. That day will always have a special place in my mind-it was a day that new things began and a day that I used to say goodbye, in a sense, to the life I had known.

Back then, I was a little younger, a lot dumber and completely convinced that I was leaving behind the best phase of my life-high school.

John Masterson gave one of the most memorable speeches at my matriculation ceremony that day, in which he said something along the lines of, "You may not know it or believe it now, but THESE are the best four years of your life. High school is in the past." Well, Masterson, was right.

The things that have made these past four years the best years of my life are vast. Some of them aren't publishable, some of them are lessons learned the hard way and some are great times spent with friends. I want to share a few of my memories and the lessons that I've learned from them with you.

1. You can't be friends with everyone in your residence hall. Sometimes, personalities clash, and that's okay. The important thing is learning how to deal with it. 2. Being someone's roommate changes your relationship with them. No matter how much you believe it won't, it will. Dealing with issues as they arise is always a good idea. 3. Don't challenge people to drinking contests if you're incapable of drinking in excess. 4. Finals ARE important. 5. At 3 a.m., you just can't beat Las Palmas. 6. If you're given a nickname, it probably won't go away (i.e. Creepy, Awkward and Muff). 7. Beer pong. 8. While many Betas were honored that people thought we were behind dying the Alumni Park fountain pink during Valentines Day, it really wasn't us. Props to the real perpetrator! 9. You haven't seen fun until you've done a bell run…or a base run, for that matter. 10. Classes at 8 a.m. generally don't work out. Classes at 10:30 a.m. are a lot easier to cope with. 11. Mary Lou could make the worst day possible turn into the greatest day, just by saying, "Hello mija!" 12. Your friends will evolve. The ones that you were close with in the beginning may not necessarily be the ones who are there at the end, but those who are in it for the long haul are a true diamond in the rough. 13. Floating the river is not mandatory, but it should be. 14. "Untag" is the most useful function on Facebook. 15. "I get by with a little help from my friends." 16. Studying and partying are both very important to a college experience, in moderation. 17. The concept of doing laundry is nice, but Febreeze works quite nicely, too. 18. College goes much more quickly than high school did. 19. The post-college path isn't clearly defined. After high school, I knew what I was going to do. I knew in October of my senior year where I would go to college. I don't have that luxury now. 20. IT'S THE LAMDA'S FAULT!

So, now that many of us have donated to our senior gift, been invited (and uninvited) to new alumni gatherings (thanks, Swine Flu…) and have started to take the steps that will become the rest of our lives, I would like to say thank you. For whatever your role in my life was, thank you. If you've never met me, let me say thank you for someone else who has made memories with you and learned lessons from you.

Thank you, Steve Vrooman, for giving me a 'C' when I deserved it. It made me mad, it made me bitter, it made me think. That's why we're here, isn't it? We're being taught material, but overall, we're being taught to think.

Thank you, Robin Bisha, for guiding me through each step of my collegiate career. Thank you for the opportunities that you've given me, the support that you've shown and the funny stories we've made along the way.

Thank you, administration, for challenging my decisions on content of this newspaper. At the time, I felt personally attacked and very overwhelmed, but I've taken away from those issues a new perspective on compromise and problem solving.

Thank you, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandma Eun for making my time here a possibility. You are my rocks.

We're getting ready to don our black robes, caps and tassels to walk the famous walk over the Library Lawn. Take a second to thank the people who have made these past four years especially worthwhile for you.

If I can do it, you can do it. I've never been any good with goodbyes.

Salute, TLU

Kessi Nitschke