A new story begins

 

Dear College,

 

From junior year of high school, I always thought about you.

You were the one that kept my mind focused while working on trigonometry.

The thought of us being together motivated me to be my best.

I talked to tons of advisors and traveled across the country to figure out where we can best grow.

 

Time passed and senior year of high school came.

It was the time where I constantly wrote to you asking for your acceptance.

Many times you rejected me and asked me to wait, but you also accepted me to some of your best locations.

I received your acceptance, but was still hesitant to move into your dorm.

I finally took a leap of faith and moved to your glowing campus in Chicago.

 

As I moved in my first year, you exposed me to a different reality that I never knew existed.

My mind was forced to dive into deeper fathoms of thought.

Sensory overload took place quite frequently, but you always came in different forms to guide me.

 

As we moved past the infatuation stage of our relationship, failure seemed to be your main point.

I came into our bond with hopes and dreams, but we didn’t see eye-to-eye on that path.

Just when I thought our connection was broken, you presented a new trail for me to walk down.

 

The new trail put the spark back into our relationship and created new dreams to build.

This new trail allowed me to be a part of something special.

With your help, I created a new culture in your home;

Something that has brought prominent figures from around the country to converse with you.

 

As time moved on and our relationship matured,

I found myself being a counselor to other people who sought the relationship that you and I grew.

I was always asked how we built our relationship.

It’s funny how you always seemed to answer the question for me.

 

You asked for my attention and I gave you my time.

You asked for my words and I gave you my mind.

You also asked for my money and… well, let’s not get into that.

 

Now that we’ve grown, it’s time for us to walk on a new path.

I was never one for long-distance relationships, but I’m actively aspiring to make this one work.

You have left your mark on me.

An impression that no one, nor one thing, can ever fill or replace.

Hopefully I’ve done the same for you in our relationship.

Who knew that in four years you would be sweetest hello and my hardest goodbye?

You have taught me many lessons that I will not forget;

Many connections that will only grow in time.

Now I must bid you adieu.

Although this part of our relationship has come to an end, a Flame still glows brightly in me for you.

 

Love,

Christian

 

Christian Gray is a senior majoring in marketing with a focus in promotion and communications and a minor in economics. He is president of the Student Activities Board. When he’s not planning events or doing schoolwork, you’ll catch him watching something sports related (#KOBE) or vibing out to music. His career goal growing up was to be Batman. He won’t tell you if he was successful on that mission, but let’s be real ­– have you ever seen him and Batman in the same place before?