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.

I believe I speak for the entire Boston College community this afternoon in expressing shock and dismay at the events taking place at the Boston Marathon this afternoon. This website will not openly speculate without hard evidence, but what we do know is that there continues to be a dangerous situation evolving near the finish line, in close proximity to Copley Square.

Do yourselves a favor and do the following:
• If you’re near the scene, leave.
• If you’re a race participant or spectator, text your loved ones that you’re okay.
• If you’re a BC student, just get back to campus.
• No matter who you are, keep our city in your thoughts and prayers.

Out of respect for those who have lost their lives, this article has been redacted. Please keep our city of Boston in your thoughts and prayers.

At last, we’ve reached the Final Four. If you’ve followed the rest of Soaring to Glory’s bracket, you will not see any current ACC teams there, but you will see a future one in the #1 Louisville Cardinals. Other teams we’ve put in Atlanta are the #1 Indiana Hoosiers, #2 Ohio State Buckeyes, and #3 Florida Gators.

Who will win? You’re asking the wrong guy, but I can guess.

Jump into the madness with FanSided’s college network on Twitter using the hashtag #FSMadness.

The following are the picks for the Final Four and National Championship in the 2013 NCAA Tournament:

Finally, the West Region in 2013. There are two future ACC teams here, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, but no current ACC teams.

Jump into the madness with FanSided’s college network on Twitter using the hashtag #FSMadness.

The following are the picks for the West Region in the 2013 NCAA Tournament:

Now we move to the East region of the NCAA Tournament bracket in 2013. Two (current) ACC teams are in this region: #2 Miami and #8 NC State. The Hurricanes are the ACC champions while NC State was merely predicted to be in the preseason poll. Miami has a clear shot at the Elite 8, while the Wolfpack will have much more work to do as an 8-seed.

Jump into the madness with FanSided’s college network on Twitter using the hashtag #FSMadness.

The following are the picks for the East Region in the 2013 NCAA Tournament:

Taking a look at the South region of the 2013 bracket. This region features one ACC team, the #8-seed North Carolina Tar Heels, who would face the #1-seed Kansas Jayhawks in the Round of 32 if they get there.

Jump into the madness with FanSided’s college network on Twitter using the hashtag #FSMadness.

The following are the picks for the South Region in the 2013 NCAA Tournament:

Now we get into the real brackets as we look at our first region and the one with the overall #1 seed in the Big Dance: Louisville and the Midwest Region.

Jump into the madness with FanSided’s college network on Twitter using the hashtag #FSMadness.

The following are the picks for the Midwest Region in the 2013 NCAA Tournament:

Next year, I expect and hope that all of Boston College will have a dog in this fight (the NCAA Tournament, not necessarily/hopefully not the “First Four”). In the meantime, these are the site’s predictions from the first games in Dayton all the way until the national championship game in April.

It is very likely that some or most of these picks will be incorrect but this is a big time of year for sports bloginess and there’s no way we’re sitting on the sidelines.

Also, jump into the madness with FanSided’s college network on Twitter using the hashtag #FSMadness.

The following are the picks for the First Four:

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Fans are allowed to root for anyone they so wish. Even Boston College fans are allowed to root for Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship Game tonight against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Indeed, it doesn’t make a difference who you want to win or not, but if it’s Notre Dame, I ask you this: Why?

The fanbase in South Bend is already plenty insufferable; imagine how they’ll be tomorrow if they win. Yeah, Alabama has been beating its collective chest for a long time and will undoubtedly be considered a dynasty if they win tonight. We’d be very boastful if we were going for our third title in four years, too (we can relate, see: hockey), but here’s the difference: Alabama is not and never will be a rival of ours. I won’t have to listen to the prideful bragging from Tuscaloosa, but if it’s coming from Indiana, I’ll never hear the end of it.

Not to mention, you will have to face the shunning of your Boston College amigos for wanting that other Catholic school to win.

In sum, Roll Tide. That is all.