Keys.

I swung by campus the other day, and decided to pay a visit to the publications office to organize some things. I pushed the door open leading to the ground level of Sullivan Hall, dug my keys out of my pocket and had a realization: I didn't have keys to the office anymore.

It was strange not being able to enter an office I'd had access to for three years. It was such an odd wash of emotions. I felt disappointed first that I couldn't accomplish what I'd come to do, sad of course, but satisfied in the end. I'm no longer the editor-in-chief, because I graduated.


I graduated.

Most of the people who will read this are on their way to doing the same, and the other handful probably already did.

Each institution of higher education is different, but we've all gone through the same process in general. For me, it hasn't been the fact that I could stack work I've done in my time at Seton Hill to the ceiling (probably several times), or the academic achievements. I feel fulfilled because I stuck with something I didn't have to for four and a half years, through the tremendous ups and downs.

In the end, looking back, of course I would have done a lot differently. Those things I would have done differently, though, got me to where I am now. I was always a motivated person, and now I know how to generate that motivation into productivity. I learned what to worry about, and what to let go. Time management was my best friend.

Here I am, three months after I drafted the above paragraphs, with absolutely no recollection on where I tended to go with it.

I'm enjoying the break from school physically; however, my brain is turning to mush. If all goes as planned I'll be working toward a Master's in Instructional Design at SHU beginning in June. I have a ton of support from my family, and I enjoy being a student. I'm choosing a field that in a way will allow me to be a student and a teacher every day. I'm lucky that the different skills I gained and also enjoy from the New Media Journalism major tie into one field. Not everybody gets to be so choosy with their degree. I do see myself in a school setting further in my career, which is the area I plan on concentrating in. At first I wanted to work with adults on the job, but the past few months after further self-searching and research, I've decided otherwise.

So, here's hoping all goes well.