An open letter to the Class of 2009

4:00 am May 14 - by Kerry Doyle – buzz Community Editor

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This Saturday or Sunday you will be taking your last steps as college students. You’ll cross the stage, shake hands, get your diploma, and graduation will have passed smoothly. Just remember not to trip on your gown, refuse to shake hands because of swine flu, or freak out when you realize your diploma’s empty (the real one is mailed in the summer). No matter which college you’re graduating from there will be a speaker to deliver a message of achievement, success, and optimism for the future, despite whether or not things are looking all that bright for you.

While everyone’s chattering on and on about jobs and careers, don’t let the future freak you out; take comfort in the thought that sooner or later things will get sorted out. You’ll find a job, a spouse and 2.5 kids. Or maybe you’ll get a plane ticket to Ecuador, get lost on a crazy adventure, and make awesome new friends. Maybe you’ll find some perfect-for-you combination, who knows? So what I’m trying to get at is that no matter where you end up, the future will take you somewhere, things will happen and life moves forward.

So while you’re off living your post-college life, take some time every once in a while to remember the good things about campus, Champaign-Urbana and your four (or more) years of life with training wheels. Everyone has their opinions about CU, both good and bad, but we’ve lived here for at least four years (21 in my case) and whether we’re leaving for good, or just waiting for the next football season to come back for a visit, everyone has something they’re going to miss. So come Saturday, take a look around you and take everything in. Champaign-Urbana will always be a college town that welcomes back alumni, but if you do come back to visit — even if it is for that first football game (or better yet, the beer and chili fest) — things will be different. So enjoy your last days as college students and no matter where you go in life, I hope you always have a soft spot for CU.

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The views expressed are the sole responsibility of the visitors who submitted them and do no represent the opinions of the217, WPGU, buzz or Illini Media staff members.

Last post: May. 14, 2009 at 4:13 am

Jeff Brandt (Jeff Brandt) said on May. 14, 2009 at 4:13 am:

Damn you for making me feel even more sentimental than I already was.

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