St. George’s: Commencement stirs many emotions

The end is near. Thirteen years of schooling will culminate in one final ceremony. For one final time, my class, the Saint George’s Class of 2007, will be together. At the end of the ceremony there will be smiling, laughing, congratulations shared all around, and lots of hugs. But I would be truly kidding myself if I didn’t accept that on that day more than a few tears will be shed.

I don’t know why this event brings out such a myriad of emotions. It is something that only those who have gone through it can explain. All through school you are ready to be done, to take no more tests or quizzes, listen to no more lectures, and tear up your notes. But when you finally reach the point where the end is in sight, another thought hits you right in the gut: In leaving school and all of those things you love to hate, you also leave those things you love to love.

At the end of this summer, my classmates, my friends, will scatter across the country to search for an education. For the majority of us, we will be away from our best friends for the next several years. You can’t help but start to think “Is this one of the last times I will see them?” or “When will I see them again?” As the last sporting events, theatrical productions, and tests conclude, it truly hits you how much you are going to miss everything about which you despised only months before.

I guess my point with all of this is that it is interesting to note how we students think.

When we first start, we can’t wait to be seniors and be done with it all. But when you work through the hard times and the good times and finally make it … you wish it didn’t have to end. You wish you had more time to spend with your friends and family, because they are what you will miss most.

When we were young and want it all to end, I don’t think any of us realized how hard it is going to be to say goodbye. But we have a bright future ahead of us, we have worked hard, and the world is waiting.

Good luck, Class of 2007!