Grand Finale

Classes are over, graduation is past and our learned scholars are packing their bags and heading out this week as they finish finals and giddily sprint for the exit. Our days will get considerably quieter (and interminably longer) and I will actually reach a point where I long for the phone to ring and the sound of student chatter in the hallways. As I drive past the nearest dorms on my morning commute, my eyes will sadly gaze at the empty parking lots bereft of their various and sundry vehicles. Sure we have summer classes, but it’s just not the same. It’s funny how thrilled I am to see the little devils leave the premises after a semester chock full of sensory overload—a solid, relentless barrage of ringing phones and streams of faculty, staff, and students crossing my threadbare threshold. No wonder I scurry home, immediately cowering under the covers, hiding from the raucous, demanding world outside, begging the cats to take any messages. And yet by summer’s end, I eagerly await the fresh batch of wide-eyed collegians, nervously enduring freshman orientation and biting their nails in anticipation of their first exciting day of new experiences and nameless, unfamiliar classmates. As they depart our familiar halls, whether transferring to four-year institutions or entering the world of commerce, I wish them all the best in their transition to the next big adventure.