Senior Send-Off

By: Jacob Childers

With graduation coming up, there are a lot of seniors doing their best at the end of the semester trying to make their way to receive their diploma with their cap and gown. Myself being a senior, I wonder if my peers are thinking the same thoughts I have. I was able to ask these questions to a couple of graduating seniors.

I asked them to look back, look ahead, and tell me what they’d do differently.

What I heard was a story of two different people: the nervous freshman and the graduate they became. Logan Wilson wishes he could go back and scream one thing at his younger self: “JOIN CLUBS!!!!” He said the pandemic left him with the social anxiety of someone coming out of solitary confinement. Now, as a senior, he has realized being in these clubs has helped him come out of his shell.

Logan Wilson as he shops around Burlington for stylish clothes.

Kylie David’s advice to her freshman self is shorter but just as sharp: “Don’t move into an off‑campus apartment.” She’s accepted that her college experience wasn’t the movie she expected. Taylor McCain would tell her younger self to slow down. “Everything doesn’t have perfect timing,” she said.

Taylor McCain posing for her graduation photos.

Then I asked what they’ll miss. For Logan, it’s the community. “Losing that will be a big sadness.” For Taylor, it’s being constantly surrounded by her best friends. Kylie? She’ll miss getting assignments she actually finds interesting.

Kylie David in her last year at UAFS

And what are they running toward? Logan wants 40‑hour weeks and weekends to himself after working hard all four years. Kylie wants the simple joy of no homework. Taylor wants to re‑establish herself outside of being just a student.

We’re all walking across that stage. But we’re not the same people who showed up freshman year. And I think that’s the point.