Congratulations to the Boston College Class of 2014

Today at Alumni Stadium, the Boston College Class of 2014 will experience one of the most bittersweet days of their lives.

Having been a part of the Boston College Class of 2008, which walked across the stage on this very day exactly six years ago, I can tell you that you won’t know how to process the emotions until you’re confronted by them.

Throughout your senior year, you knew this day was coming. As finals approached and Senior Week was eventually upon you, you became aware of just how close you were to your college years coming to an end, but there was still time left on the clock. There were still barbecues at the Mods and trips to Mary Ann’s to be had.

On this day, Boston College Class of 2014, the clock hits all zeros on your time as an undergrad. You wake up, put on the cap and gown, and before you know it, you’re loading the car and leaving. Period, the end. It’s a whirlwind of a day and you might not know what hit you until it’s over.  For the first time in your existence as a college student, there isn’t going to be a tomorrow for you and your alma mater, and unless you intend to shell out for a graduate program on the Heights, you will probably feel that you will be separated from Boston College in that way forever.

It may feel that way, and I would be lying if I told you new graduates that things will be the same. They won’t. You and your friends are going to all grow up, work, and perhaps have families. The campus located at 140 Commonwealth Avenue in Chestnut Hill will no longer be the tie that binds you, and yet, it will.

Though you, the Boston College Class of 2014, will no longer occupy this place on an everyday basis in terms of physical presence, you will always be there in spirit and it will always be a part of you. If you’re one of the many who enjoyed your time at Boston College, it can sometimes be a struggle to cope at first, but Boston College is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. You are also part of a community from which you’ll never depart.

It is important to stay involved with those in your community. I implore the Boston College Class of 2014 and all like-minded alumni to get involved with the Alumni Association. Stay in touch with friends, take a trip to campus every now and then, and don’t forget to root for the Eagles wherever you go.

As I found out on May 19, 2008, the Boston College Class of 2014 is learning today that this is the end of one journey, but it is the start of another, and you can in fact take the memories with you.