Graduating from college, for me, is simultaneously the happiest and saddest moment of my life.

The sun emerges from its cave and the breeze whips through my hair and I question why I would ever want to leave, but then I take one tough exam or sit in traffic on Highway 321 for a day and wish it all away.

I saw some ridiculous things my freshman year, from broken granite bathroom stalls and fire alarms to dead birds in the toilet, but the best gifts have come from my senior year: discovering my passion, maturing in writing and finding a positive side to life difficult to hold onto.

But, I can say I’ve put my heart and soul into The Appalachian for the past year and have enjoyed every minute of the rewarding and even aggravating aspects of being a reporter.

Before joining staff, I participated in a variety of leadership organizations and spent countless hours attempting, but never perfecting, a balance between the large course load, work, extracurricular activities and a social life.

The most memorable and life-changing lessons I attained, however, had nothing to do with academics, though they’re the center, the core, of “the experience.”
First and foremost, I learned the value of kindness. Just be nice to those around you, whether you know them or not, or share or don’t share the same morals and beliefs.

When you leave college, wouldn’t you like to leave knowing you were a joy to be around, instead of that snob in the corner waiting to be approached, surrounded by the “cool kids?”

Smile to someone walking down the street or talk to your neighbor on the bus or elevator.

Receiving little boosts like that can sometimes get people through some of the loneliest days, while being ignored often makes things far worse.

Second, don’t take yourself too seriously. We’re all guilty of this. Every little thing might seem like the end of the world, but we have to learn to laugh and just shrug it off, realizing it could always be so much worse.

Third, I can’t stress how crucial it is avoid depending on others for happiness. College friends and relationships, though they make for great memories, aren’t necessarily going to be there forever.

They move away; they change; they sometimes disappoint.

Don’t define yourself by the number of friends you have or the number of people who call you to hang out on a Friday night, but by the number of times you were happily able to spend the evening alone.

By all means, make bonds and develop them, but don’t let them define you.

Lastly, my fellow peers, I’ve realized an intrinsic willingness to change will take a person miles in life; to change personality, location, outlook, whatever it might be. Edit your “normal” behavior and move to a new city away from those you know. Don’t turn down that job because it’s not in your hometown. Don’t be an opportunity killer.

I want to thank those people who have made my experience here so special: my club and leadership advisors, especially in CSIL, those few professors who were harder on me than anyone else and those few friends who seemed to stick around the longest.

You are the ones I will remember ten years down the road.

People like to say college is the best time of your life, but how ridiculous is it to say that it gets progressively worse after these few, “most treasured” years?

I’m continuously reminded by my elders that I should enjoy it while I can, but I’m going to quote Brad Paisley talking to his 17-year-old self in a letter that “I’d end by saying have no fear, these are nowhere near the best years of your life.”

Yes, it does get harder and harder to be your own fan and find strength amidst the increasing pressures of life, but I’d like to believe memories sweeten with age.

So, though I had a great experience, it’s now about your experience. Take my advice with a grain of salt, and make what you will of your four or five (hopefully no more) short years here.

I wish you luck.

Kristin Larmore, a senior journalism major from Findlay, Ohio, is the lifestyles reporter.

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