I am collecting beautiful things. Mix CDs, photographs. Catalpa pods and campfire smoke. Spontaneous sing-alongs and potentially embarrassing dance-scapades. Late nights with deep mugs of coffee, sunsets on Physical Plant Mountain and dirt under my fingernails. And wind.

It’s about time I pack ‘em all up.

I know a good number of students who made the decision to come to Gustavus simply because of a “vibe” or a “feeling,” and I am no different. I think that was a pretty solid decision on my part.

As a soon-to-graduate senior, it’s essentially obligatory to be a bit nostalgic, think back through the last four years and even tour memory lane with the help of everyone’s favorite social documentation station–The Facebook. I feel a little stupid mentioning it, but hey!  Our class was the first to experience all four years with this state-of-the-art time-sucking tool, and when nostalgia is the goal, The Facebook is pretty darn effective.

Anyway, thinking back through the last few years, I think it’s safe to say that it went all right. I didn’t experiment with the D-word (dreadlocks), so my dad is happy about that.  I survived Organic Chemistry II (sick) and Cell and Molecular Biology (barely), so now I can play that card for the rest of my life. I never successfully persuaded anyone in power to add “sheepherder” to the list of work-study positions (to cut the cost of mowing the lawn, of course), but I suppose that’s what alumni power is for.

Speaking of alums, imagining what my fellow seniors will be doing next year is a fun game. I suppose I feared that we would all take off and disappear like water on a wood-burning stove, and that is somewhat the case. I know seniors who will be starting med school, baking, leading trips in Patagonia, farming, teaching special education through Teach for America, teaching English in China, going to graduate school in Alaska and maybe even singing for the Minnesota Opera. Wow, we’re pretty awesome.

Gusties like to talk about how we’re too involved. On top of class work, we all have at least ten extracurriculars. For the most part, I believe that we do this because we believe in what we’re doing. We enjoy being engaged and being a part of whatever change we wish to see in the world. When I look at my fellow graduating seniors, I see good people. I sincerely hope that we will continue to be as engaged and passionate wherever we end up as we are here.

We’re not exactly graduating into any sort of economic, environmental or political paradise, so we’ve got our jobs cut out for us. Or our lack of jobs, if that’s how you want to put it. This may not be particularly reassuring to you, but my mom believes in us. All of the energy and engagement people devoted to the election last fall gave her a lot of hope, and I think that a good number of other adult-type people felt the same way.

I am collecting beautiful things. Clouds of cherry blossoms, companies of waxwings. Monster bars and Coldplay in the cafeteria (thank you, Jesus). Cilantro. Black and gold face paint. And a little more wind.

Thank you, Gustavus.  I’ll be seeing you.