As I wander around the campus today with Jack Johnson playing somewhere in my subconscious, I reflect on how far I've come and how much change has taken place since September. There is an air of ease permeating the campus, with a hint of urgency barely detectable as we scramble to do well in or final exams. Roaming the humble halls of Lowell G. Biddulph Residence Hall, slivers of long-awaited sunlight peek from every window, luring us from our desks and much needed studies for a game of frisbee in the quad, or a nap on the newly thawed grass. The tantalizing feel of summer is in the air, and we all attempt to suppress the desires to ditch our notes and enjoy the first good weather we've had in weeks. Upon further exploration one might hear the reluctant sounds of packing while the whine of music issues from nowhere in particular. Accompanying the feeling of ease with hints if urgency is an underlying depression as we begin to realize how near the end really is, and as we wonder whether we will see certain friends, now like brothers, two years from now.
As many of us prepare to head to the far reaches of the Earth, the reflection is turned inward and ever deeper, as we each contemplate our purpose, the lessons we have learned, the experience gained, and the course set before us.
The things we have been a part of here are beyond description in so many ways, and will be treasured forever as part of this, our freshmen experience. The bonds forged between each of us have made us like family, as we have shared with each other the good times and the bad, the easy and the difficult, the exciting and the mundane, and the occasional downright weird times here in 'The Bid'. We've seen brothers lost, only to have new family added to our brotherhood. This experience is unlike any the can be found in any club, society, or fraternity anywhere in the world.
So, to all my brothers here in First North:
Whether leaving or staying, to each who dreams, and to all who dare, good luck and God speed.
