It’s a Wednesday night and I’m listening to “Drunk in Love” remixes and eating a Chipotle burrito in The Lamron office. This is normal: In January 2011, The Lamron instilled in me a routine in which I drop all academic priorities on Wednesday to pursue the all-night production of this very newspaper. And there’s my first confession: The amount of time I’ve dedicated to The Lamron has surpassed time that could have gone toward what many would call a healthy, properly managed academic career void of sleepy Thursdays and weekly all-nighters. I sometimes look back and wonder what kind of student I would be without the rock star lifestyle that comes with being an editor-in-chief.
That’s not to say that I don’t value my academic career. I do – that’s why I’m riding on various forms of financial assistance, confident that my undergraduate degree will get me places. I’m a good student and – for the most part – love my classes. I still manage to stay engaged and receive solid grades, despite a myriad of heavy responsibilities.
But I’ve learned that there’s a lot to be said for genuine dedication to certain “extracurricular” things in my life like The Lamron and my dear, newly recognized Think Local Geneseo.
I’m not trying to address readers via cover letter; I’m trying to prove just how much you can do at this school without feeling inhibited by coursework or institutional guidelines. As a student, maximizing on your opportunities will make you not only marketable in this bleak world of unpaid internships and entry-level positions that call for five years of experience; it’s a strategy that will also make you empathetic, curious and interested in what the world has to offer you.
In over three years of turmoil, joy and confusion, I did what my orientation advisors and recent graduates told me to do. I joined things, I worked hard, I got drunk, I planned for a future – I made mistakes and I achieved goals. I’ve exhausted my time at Geneseo, I think, to its potential capacity.
And that’s where my second senior confession comes: I can’t put my finger on it, but something is different about this place. I don’t if it’s just my perception or the fact that I’m going to miss the on-campus Tim Hortons, but my co-seniors might nod along with this sentiment.
It’s almost a cynical feeling – it comes naturally when you stay in one place for four years. Feeling jaded forces me to step back and acknowledge the Geneseo goodies that I’ll cherish most. The aforementioned genuine dedication goes for friendships, too. Now that “XO” by Beyoncé is on, I might as well give a teary-eyed shout out to the people who made me who I am – you know who you are.
Not to mention, dancing on the Inn Between risers as an alumna will soon be unacceptable, so you can find me there through 2 p.m. on May 17. To you, Geneseo, I’ll just say that it’s been quite interesting; I’m ready for life and whatever is thrown at me. That’s how I know that I did this right.