Elon will never leave me

I will never forget the late August morning in 2006, the morning of New Student Convocation at Elon University. The class of 2010 dressed up, walked among our soon-to-be professors, gathered Under the Oaks, received our acorns, and were told by President Leo Lambert that we would leave Elon someday, but Elon would never leave us. The morning of May 22, 2010, the morning of our Commencement, I realized the true meaning of that.

...Another morning, August 29, 2009, the beginning of my senior year at Elon, I was reminded of President Lambert's charge to our class. I was covering freshman convocation for the class of 2013 for The Pendulum and sat in the front row, next to Father Gerry, crying my eyes out during Phil Smith's prayer, during the singing of the Alma Mater, during President Lambert's speech. Good thing I could cover it up by looking down at the notes I was taking. I knew then that saying goodbye to Elon would be one of the hardest things I would ever have to do in my life.

This year has been a blur for me. So many incredible things have happened and I finally made time for myself and for fun. But it all went by so quickly. With all the deadlines and running against the clock moments I've experienced in journalism, nothing can compare to the ticking away of every second during the week leading up to graduation...

Sunday, May 16:
Final mass at Elon, the tears began. Singing in the CCM choir these past four years has given me an outlet for music, a driving force in my life. Choir and theater consumed my life in high school, and singing in church was my one way of continuing that. This year, Melissa and I are the only seniors.

Monday, May 17:
Rehearsal with my fellow Leadership Fellows for "Leaders of the 21st Century." We got to practice on the stage in McCrary Theatre, which is always a cool thing to do. I'll have to eventually post the video I shot and edited for our presentation with the help of Noelle Clemente, who tossed in tons of photos from the past four years...lots of fun memories with the fellows. That night, I got my first real introduction to Justin Bieber when I had dinner with my London roommates and friends for life, MoMo and Stacey.

Tuesday, May 18:
One big thing crossed off the bucket list: a trip to Biltmore!

Wednesday, May 19:
Senior Picnic and Gala, one of the greatest nights of my life because, thanks to Chris Beeson, I finally got to dance! I also learned how to drive a stick shift in 10 minutes...a real accomplishment. 

Thursday, May 20:
My final Subway date with Rachel. Our weekly life chats mean the world to me, so much so that we've decided to make them monthly in the Baltimore/D.C. area.

Friday, May 21:
The festivities begin and my family arrives. We had a really nice time at the Communications reception, Baccalaureate and Leaders of the 21st Century.

Saturday, May 22:
I woke up around 6:30 a.m. the morning of May 22 with "Defying Gravity" in my head. I've always said my life is a soundtrack - there is always some song running in my mind. A small phrase can trigger lyrics. A flicker of an experience in a day can launch into a song comparable to the moment. "Defying Gravity" seemed appropriate in my mind that morning, I suppose. Keep in mind Elphaba's situation was far more desperate than my own:

Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap! 
...
I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down.

Commencement was beautiful. It went so quickly for being a three-hour ceremony. I clung to every word that was spoken, I cheesed it up as I received my diploma (did my pre-planned dance down the ramp) - mostly to hide the part of me that wanted to cry, I watched proudly and smiled and waved as my friends passed by me to line up on stage for their diplomas (gotta love being a "B" and sitting in the front row), and I sang the Alma Mater, one of my favorite songs in my life soundtrack. And as President Lambert shouted "Long Live Elon," the lump in my throat allowed me to repeat it, something I've been looking forward to since I first shouted it that August morning in 2006.

Sharing that moment with my family and friends could not have been more perfect, especially since our prayers (and Father Gerry's) worked and the rain held out until the very end. So much love...
 

For Leadership Fellows this year we've had several "capstone dinners" where we gather to reflect on certain things and to listen to a speaker. Phil Smith, Associate Chaplain and Director of Religious Life, and one of my favorite people at Elon, spoke twice - once in the fall and once in the spring. His dinners will always remain my favorite. In the fall, he talked about the inspirational and humble leadership of Dean Smith, retired head coach of the Tar Heels men's basketball team, of which Phil is an avid fan. The second time, Phil had us think about who at Elon has had the greatest impact on us. To whom would we have a hard time saying goodbye? Wow. My list was long. And I had to hold back tears at my dinner table. (If you're seeing a theme of tears and bittersweet sorrow here, you have caught on to my life's theme this year.) It was then that Phil quoted lyrics from "Closing Time." As he recited them, not only did I finally let a tear go, but I was stunned at how appropriate the song is to our challenge of having to leave Elon:

Closing time - open all the doors and let you out into the world.
Closing time - turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl.
Closing time - one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer.
Closing time - you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
...
Closing time - time for you to go out to the places you will be from.
Closing time - this room won't be open 'til your brothers or your sisters come.
So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits - I hope you have found a friend.
Closing time - every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

The sunset and sky on the Sunday after Commencement were picture perfect. I cannot imagine leaving Elon any other way. I know who I want to take me home, but as we've been told, and as I now fully understand, we will leave Elon someday, but Elon will never leave us. What a blessing.

*Thanks again to Corey Groom for some of his marvelous Gala and Graduation photos!