When I was a sophomore, I remember reading The Post’s senior farewell columns and thinking, “I wonder what I will be feeling so strongly about in my senior year to dedicate my column to.” And to be honest, I am feeling a million different emotions, so I could go on about my college experience for 300 pages.
I lived a million different lives in college. Freshman year, I did the party thing and skipped more classes than I care to admit. Sophomore year, I overloaded my schedule and spent my days in the library, making the dean’s list for the first time. I studied abroad in Germany, then a year later found myself interning in Italy. Somewhere in between, I threw myself into The Post’s editorial team, creating a new position to cover regional, state and national news.
At each moment throughout my college years, each version of myself felt the most important, believing each experience defined me. A low GPA freshman year, the hours in the library, the internships, the bylines – I kept chasing the next thing to prove to myself that I was accomplishing something.
And while all of that made college the experience that it was on paper, the moments I actually remember aren’t the ones I planned.
I remember staying up until 3 a.m. with a stomachache from laughing so hard with my friends. I remember when I first touched down in Germany for my study abroad trip, realizing this is what I want to do forever. I remember running to Casa Nueva when my friends and I heard that Caamp was at open mic night. I remember the last month of my senior year, when the most important thing for my friends and me was just to be together.
College made me realize that life is truly what you make of it. Life comes from the laughs you share, the people you meet and the lessons you learn. Yes, some of that may come from doing what is expected, but it also comes from doing what is unexpected.
With that same sentiment, I realized the world is in my hands. After graduation, I will be completing my master’s degree in a two-year program that will allow me to live and study in both Denmark and Germany, something my freshman year self would not believe was even an option.
Dreams really do happen when you stop listening to the people who say they aren’t possible.
But, if there is anything I’ve learned over the past four years, it’s that the moments that matter most are the ones you never see coming and the people who are there when they happen. I would like to shout out those people who made my college experience so special.
To the news section, for coming to meetings with smiles on their faces, despite knowing the current news is hard to smile over. To my co-editor, Maggie, for sharing countless hours as we dedicate our lives to the world of news. To my executive editors, Jackson, Rooks, Alex and Abby, for seeing my ideas through. To my staff writer, Finn, for understanding my vision of reporting on regional and national news, executing it in a way that helped minimize the Southeast Ohio news desert.
To my coworkers at the Athena Cinema, for making the cinema my second home on campus and allowing a work-study job to be one of the best parts of my week. To my professors and mentors, who showed me how to be the best journalist I could be.
To my best friends, Raina, Clara, Ali, Jill, Kirsten, Lauren and Daphne, who turned these past four years into memories I will carry with me forever. And most importantly, to my mom, for answering every call, listening to every complaint that felt world-ending in the moment and believing in me through it all – thank you for being my constant and my best friend.
And to Ohio University, for allowing an out-of-state student to feel at home. I will be forever chasing after another town that feels as comforting as Athens.
Thank you for the music. I hope to see you soon.
Suzanne Piper is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Suzie about their column? Email them at sp249021@ohio.edu.