So, it’s my first day as a University of Connecticut alumni, and I don’t know what to feel. Happy? Sure. Sad? A tad. Nostalgic? You betcha. Excited? I guess.

I think the difficulty in pinpointing my emotions comes from the fact that, right now, I am in the beginning of summer vacation. Whether or not I graduated this year, summer vaction falls at the same point in time, and so it doesn’t feel all too real. It doesn’t feel over. I’ve had friends tell me that it really only hits you when the Fall rolls around and you don’t find yourself back in school, and that makes sense to me: I’ve been a student for the past sixteen years of my life. I don’t know what it will feel like to not be in school.

UConn has been a true home away from home for me, and I can’t tell what I will miss most about it. The amazing faculty and staff of the Creative Writing Program and the English Department are for sure up there on the list. But so are all of the friends that I may never see again. So are all of the classes I didn’t get to take, and so are all of the lines on my bucket list that I didn’t have a chance to scratch off. I’m going to miss finding friends in the library at one in the morning, gathering for impromtu lunches and dinners between classes. I’m going to miss the stress, the exams, the people, the familiarity.

I noted to myself just last week as I was walking back to my dorm after classes that I know the UConn Storrs campus like the back of my hand. I know the shortcuts, the scenic routes, the secrets. And now I come to the point in my career where I leave those things to the next generation. It will be hard, but I think I can cope with it. But I ask one thing from all of you newcomers.

Take care of the place.