Hi, you don’t know this, but I have written the beginning of this sentence too many times. It’s very nice to meet you.
It’s weird to think that in just a few short weeks I will be not where I am now: knee deep in a patchwork of assignments and lovingly commiserating this shared exhaustion with some of the best pals I know.
Which in the wise words of Vitamin C reminds us:
As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends forever
When I transferred to Mills, I was—to put it mildly—overwhelmed. A few hours into orientation, I cried in the lobby of GSB because I didn’t know how I was going to make it. But once classes started and the immaculate campus ceased to be intimidating, I was in awe of the classroom dynamics, the student diversity and the kinetic potential on campus. Like all things were possible.
As a resuming commuter student, I was worried that because I hadn’t started my academic journey here or because I was only on campus for so many hours out of the week I would somehow be outside of the sphere of magic happening on campus.
I have never been happier to be wrong.
I owe a big part of the shift to joining the Campanil. It was a few weeks into the school year, and I was not sure how I would manage or if I was even ready—you know the doubts, and how they like to get the last word in.
But I was just so excited and inspired by others on the team that I thought, “If not now then when?“ Being a part of the Campanil has helped me engage with the pulse on campus. It gave me an opportunity to interview students and professors, attend their events and learn more about them. It provided a framework to reflect on that experience. Things that I might have otherwise missed if I simply stayed in my (bike) lane.
It’s hard to pin Mills down in a few words. I know that it means something different to each and everyone of us here.
To me Mills has meant a fresh start.
This campus is a great launching point to explore, challenge yourself and create. The kinetic potential. It was and continues to be the magic of Mills for me.
As I close this undergraduate chapter at Mills, I am forever thankful to my partner Sarah for being my rock through it all. To the professors who practice the art of sparking curiosity, to the students who speak like fire, and to the Campanil staff—past, present and those to come—for shining a light on the stories that need to be told.
