With less than four months left in the semester, graduation is fast approaching for Ohio University seniors.
“I don't know if I'm ready yet,” Aidan Kirk, a senior studying business analytics and marketing, said. “After spring break hits, I'll be in the mindset of ready to walk across the stage. But until then, I'm trying to not focus on that yet, so I can really just enjoy being here and be present in the moment.”
Kirk knew when he started his undergraduate degree he would only have three years in Athens. It was his goal to graduate one year early.
Kirk said there are certainly parts of OU he will miss next year, but there are other things he is ready to say goodbye to.
“I am just ready to be done with all of the homework assignments and get into the job aspect of stuff,” Kirk said.
Kirk said after graduation, he is starting his career as an executive team lead for Target in Cincinnati.
Andrew Clabaugh, a senior studying electrical engineering, is also looking forward to entering the working world, as he will start a career with Integrated Solutions for Systems doing embedded systems development after graduation.
“I definitely feel like I am ready to graduate,” Clabaugh said. “I don't have all the credits yet, which is why I've got this last semester here, but I think there's been a lot of things that have been lining up and being put in place. I got a job and I got a place to live, and so it seems like a lot of things are lined up for me … I'm excited to get on a predictable schedule of actually working.”
For senior Maddy Lucas, who is also graduating early, homework assignments will not end post-grad. Lucas is studying environmental and plant biology and applying for graduate school at OU.
“I feel sad because I really enjoyed undergrad,” Lucas said. “Mostly, I'm going to miss my friends that are going away … I'm glad to stay in Athens, it feels safe. If I wasn't going to grad school, I would say I'm not ready (for graduation) at all, because I just have more to learn. But I'm feeling okay, I'll be ready when it's time.”
Even if Clabaugh is ready to get away from school work, it doesn’t mean he is ready to leave everything about OU’s campus behind.
“Honestly, I kind of like walking to class,” Clabaugh said. “I feel like I don't get much exercise, especially on Christmas break. I was sitting at home on Christmas break, and I was all cooped up, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I gotta walk.’ So I'm gonna miss walking around between the different classes, even though the walks are kind of far.”
The experience of living in a highly walkable city with a close-knit community is one of Kirk’s favorite things, too.
“I'm going to miss the community, I think,” Kirk said. “You don't ever really get the opportunity to live in this kind of community once you graduate again. You have your nine-to-five job and your friends, but you don't get to live right next to your friends and just be able to go, ‘Hey, you want to go to the dining hall?’ (or) ‘Hey, you want to go to Chipotle?’”
For most seniors, spring semester is the beginning of the end, and leaving behind friends is not easy.
“I think it's bittersweet,” Kirk said. “I mean, I'm excited to go work my job after college, but you're never going to be in an environment where you're two minutes away from all of your friends ever again.”
Other seniors have already come to terms with the fact their time in Athens is finally coming to an end.
“I feel like the real weight for me was when I was coming out of the summer,” Clabaugh said. “I was like, ‘OK, here's my last school year.’ That is where it really hit me, and so now I'm kind of at peace with a lot of things.”
Undergraduate seniors are walking across the stage May 2 with more than just a diploma. The college experience has taught seniors several lessons both in and out of the classroom.
“I've heard people say in high school that college doesn't necessarily teach you everything about academics; it also teaches you just how to be a person,” Lucas said. “I think it really just has taught me how to be an adult, more than anything.”
These seniors had experiences during their time in undergrad that taught them valuable lessons and built their confidence.
“Look back on the choices that you've made and realize … you made a lot of choices in the past that are really hard … and so, walk with peace that you've already made hard choices and that you can make these (hard) choices with confidence,” Claubaugh said.
