the final term

As I submitted my taxes today, it firmly began to sink in that this is my final term at Oregon State. In fact, it’s my final term, ever. No more tuition payments (after May 1st), no more Canvas, Duo Push, BeaverHub, late-night deadlines, or office hours. College has been the last six years of my life, so it will be an adventure to see who I am without that part of my identity anymore: student.

There are more identities to be found, however. I just wrapped up my fourth interview with a company and I am hopeful that it will be the final one. This will be my first full-time job, outside of “full-time student,” and I will have to resign at my part-time job. In November, I plan to get married, adding “wife” to my list of identities.

As my team and I have been building our project, it’s dawned on me just how quickly this year has gone. We have accomplished so much in the last 24 weeks. I am proud to call them my teammates. I am proud of the final result we are pushing for as we meet all of the goals we laid out in the beginning. Growth is the major theme I would coin for my final year at Oregon State.

2024 is becoming a year of changes, but they are good changes. Bittersweet is the correct word, I believe. There are always going to be pieces of our old identities that we miss. I won’t miss deadlines and struggling with concepts, but I will miss the studying aspect. I will miss the cyclical pace of 11 weeks at a time. I know that I will miss my customers and my coworkers at my part-time job. I know I will miss my home when I move out. However, change can be a beautiful thing. It means life is happening. Better to have lived, loved, and lost, than to have never done any of it at all!