REVISITING MY ALMA MATER
The beginning of school always brings back a total mix of emotions. The feelings of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation all come swarming back to you as you get ready to tackle another year, dreaming about the day when school would become a thing of the past. But, when that day finally comes, you suddenly feel a little part of you is missing. The end of August no longer signifies the end of summer, you’re not feeling those dreaded first-day-of-school jitters, and buying school supplies just aren’t necessary anymore. Being a recent postgrad, not heading back to school a few weeks ago surely didn’t feel right. The thought of the real world kicked into high gear, and I realized just how much I was going to miss school, Bryant University especially. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy that I’ll no longer have to cram for exams, write papers well into the night, and stress about getting good grades. However, I made some of the greatest of memories there, which certainly triumphs those unpleasant college experiences any day.
As a sort of last-minute thing, I had the pleasure of returning to my alma mater for the day on Wednesday. I was asked to participate in a Teen Vogue Back-To-School Saturday Trunk Show hosted by Her Campus Bryant, an organization I was a member of during my undergraduate years. They are part of the nationally recognized Her Campus organization, an online magazine that is dedicated to college women. My role in HC Bryant was to manage our social media accounts, as well as write some articles here and there. I hated having to leave such an amazing group of girls but was so excited when they invited me back to help out for the day.
At the trunk show, Her Campus Bryant was giving away a ton of free girly goodies by great brands including Pac San, Maybelline, Jimmy Choo, and so many more. As for me, my job for the day was to hop on their social media accounts and document the day’s festivities through tweets and Instagram pictures. Can you say best job ever? I’ve always loved social media and all the possibilities that can come from it, so as you might assume, I had a blast doing this. Plus, I’m so in love with everything fashion-related.
Besides helping out the girls, I had the opportunity to catch up with a few professors, say hello to some of the faculty, and take in the life of a college student from a different perspective.I’m no longer that girl rushing from class to class and meeting to meeting, anxiously awaiting for that moment to myself. Instead, I’m searching for a job that will be a perfect fit for me, wishing I was back to those hectic days of college. Being at Bryant on Wednesday, I found myself really taking in everything around me now that I’m not a stressed-out student, but a visitor.
As I watched people head to class or sneak in some last-minute studying, I wondered where all the time went for me and how often I stopped to appreciate the little moments when I was in college. It’s funny how different things can look from the outside.
College goes by so quickly, and when you’re caught up in everyday life, it’s easy to lose sight of how lucky you are to have this opportunity. Revisiting campus quickly reminded me that the Bryant experience was more than just the diploma you received at the end of 4 years. It was about learning about the world around you, immersing yourself in different organizations and cultures like Her Campus Bryant, and, most importantly, figuring out who you really are. People will fade away and bad grades will eventually be forgotten, but you’ll always remember how college changed your life for the better.
