Toccara BuckleyThe end of the road is near. One thing for certain, the road was without a doubt well traveled. The paths and turns I chose to take were undoubtedly different from those of which others would have chosen, but I have no regrets.
My final semester or what appears to be my final stint here at Cabrini has neared its end, so long as I make it through this final semester unscathed. Four years ago, I myself would not have predicted this outcome. A degree in four years, my parents are more amazed than me.
This coming weekend will mark the five year point of my first official visit to the college, and I remember it as if it were yesterday. That first drive from Long Island, down the New Jersey Turnpike, across the Pennsylvania Turnpike, that first trip is unforgettable. The drive became more and more routine as years past. The first drive seemed like it was a journey across the country, two high school seniors about to embark on a trip for a weekend experience of what they hoped would be similar to the next four years of there life. The weekend was unbelievable, and the drive home was even better. The traffic gave me time to think. I realize now that I was mentally preparing myself for what was to come.
As it came time to make the decision of what I was going to be doing after high school, I received mixed opinions across the board. Some said, ” Antonio is too immature for college,” others said, ” Antonio, why don’t you spend two years at a community college to get adjusted, you may not be ‘college material’.” I thought, “How dare they!” I was going to go away to school to play lacrosse and get my degree, and it didn’t matter who said otherwise. So my mission leaving home was to prove them all wrong. Closing in on commencement, I guess I can say I have done what I have intended on doing all along. Academically, it was far from being smooth and graceful, but I got it done.
I have had my fair share of let downs over this time, but have worked through them. What I can pass on is, when things aren’t going great, and it seems that it can’t get any worse; know that when it’s just that bad, it will only get better. Trust who you are, but always keep a sharp eye.
College has without a doubt educated me, This is obviously why I chose to attend school in the first place. Book smarts are a great thing to have, and good professors can relay knowledge in that subject area. Great professors often go beyond books. Along with experience, professors and friends are able to teach things not learned in the classroom. I feel as if I have gained that knowledge. At this point in time I feel somewhat inspired to pass on the fact that learning outside the classroom is just as important.
Now nearly five years since that unforgettable venture, I feel like I have shared different experiences with people that are unforgettable. We have done it all, name it and I promise we have done it. Friends have changed throughout the years; some of my strongest friendships have been generated over the past two years. Some of those friends from the first year still mean so much to me. “The crew” as we jokingly called it, stuck together in small groups after freshmen year. Just a few people from the original group will be walking down the isle next month, I will undoubtedly be taking the experiences I have shared with all of them as well as everyone else I have encountered along the way with me as I prepare to embark on the next voyage, the voyage of life.
Posted to the web by Lauren Joseph
