This is the beginning of the end. My last semester of college is here and I am feeling a lot of things. These feelings range from extreme happiness to frantic anxiousness and everything in between. As I start my semester of lasts, I am overwhelmed and, to be honest, surprised by how much I am already dreading leaving this place.

Harding was never my first choice for my higher education, but through a twist of fate, I found myself on the “Harding University Class of 2019” Facebook page. When I came to school I packed what everyone else did — clothes and bedding — but I also brought a bitterness that would stick with me through my first semester. The beginning of school felt like church camp that was never going to end. I found myself eating alone in my room more often than not. I was not enjoying my major and I missed my high school friends.

Then through certain events, which I will not mention for fear of being scrutinized for my use of cliche, I found my best friends. I found my people. I switched my major and well, I still missed my high school friends but that is just life.
My Harding experience started to change. I started to feel a sense of ownership of my time. Slowly but surely my bitterness started to turn into affection for people in a place that I couldn’t imagine leaving.

This semester feels different from the rest. I think in the back of my mind I know I have to get my mess under control. I mean have a spreadsheet for my budget, for goodness sake. Freshman Kendall wouldn’t believe that if I told her. I also don’t think she would believe a lot of the good things that are going to happen over the next four years — things that are making it so hard to start to say goodbye.