You Leave Boston College, But Boston College Never Leaves You
By Joe Micik
Five years ago today, I graduated from Boston College.
Every bit of that day, May 19, 2008, is still fresh in my mind as it if happened yesterday. I could tell you the time I got up, the time my roommate and I went to line up on Linden Lane, the number of pictures I took for other graduates during the procession (particularly with the Ignatius Loyola statue), and even the high temperature that afternoon.
Even what happened afterwards, like sitting at home, staring at a blank computer screen, and wondering what to make of my life, are clear memories.
In the past five years, I would say that I have become a greater part of the Boston College community than I was when I was an undergraduate student. To those young men and women attending the school in the present day, I sat in the same classrooms, ate the same Late Night food at Lower, and went to the same sporting events as all of you, but in spite of that, I have actively contributed more since 2008.
Starting Soaring to Glory over four years ago was a hobby, but since FanSided acquired it in January 2011, it has become much more than that. In my time since graduation with this website, I have become intimately familiar with many of our programs (and the nuances therein) and have forged a number of connections with alumni, student athletes, and fans. Sometimes we have had our disagreements, but at the end of the day, we all stand as one Boston College family.
Whether you’re graduating tomorrow, you graduated five years ago like me, you graduated fifty years ago, or you still have several years on Chestnut Hill in front of you, we are all linked. Maroon and gold runs through all of us and binds us together for the common purpose of seeing our school advance, and not just in the athletic sense. We share the objective of seeing our alma mater (or future alma mater, as the case may be) constantly soar to new heights, in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. It is this ardent support for our university on multiple levels that permeates through all of us.
Graduating from Boston College is the definitive ending of one chapter, but it is also the start of another. So long as you’re still drawing breath, it’s not too late to make an impact on the Boston College family. Join the Alumni Association chapter in your area, stay in touch with your fellow Eagles, and catch some BC games if your situation allows. Sure, once you’re about three years out, you certainly won’t be hanging around the Mods anymore (and if so, I would encourage you to pursue new hobbies with people your age), but just because you’re not in school housing doesn’t mean you’re not still part of Boston College, wherever you are.
Five years ago today, I physically left Boston College, but Boston College has never left me. It is why I come here every day, it is why I am on my way in life as a young professional and entrepreneur, and it is why I am the person I have become. Spending a lifetime giving back to the university that has shaped my adult life for the better seems entirely fair and reasonable. Even if it just means buying a hat from the Bookstore and wearing your pride wherever you go, you can, too.