“ Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it is the middle that counts the most.”
This quote — which I originally thought my parents cleverly created — belongs to Birdee Pruit in the must-watch movie “Hope Floats,” and it has come to mind almost daily as my college career comes to a close.
Fresh out of an uber-conservative private school, I was intimidated by almost everything about college. I had spent the last six years on the same campus with the same 30 or so people in my grade, so transitioning to one of the largest campuses and student bodies in the United States was a difficult adjustment.
Starting at Fish Camp, college was a pattern of fear, then joy with each new experience. I was hesitant with every step, but in the end, I am able to look back and see that each ‘first’ got easier, and I was able to break out of my shell as I did that were outside my comfort zone, like applying for The Battalion.
I’m so glad I did, or I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to write for a newspaper that has challenged me in the best way and given me opportunities to hear the stories of people I likely wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. I’ve written almost a hundred stories for The Battalion, and as an English major, I shudder to think of the number of words I’ve written in college as a whole. Though these last few months have been nothing short of unprecedented with the recent decisions made by university administrators, I am forever grateful for my time at The Batt and only wish I had found it sooner. I have faith the newspaper will be the voice of A&M’s student body for many years to come.
In these four years of college, I’ve had my first job, my first internship, lived on my own for the first time and even experienced my first global crisis — thanks, COVID-19. It has been a time of immense growth, and I am incredibly grateful for every experience. Thank you to my family, who have always given me unwavering love and support, despite me testing their patience far too many times by coming home at ungodly hours of the night and having mild breakdowns because of classes — particularly math. Thank you to my friends for the dancing, the car rides blaring Taylor Swift and more joy than I can put into words. Thank you to my professors, those who I have loved and not, as I’ve learned an incredible amount either way.
As I look to my graduation, I do feel a measure of fear, but more than that, I’m excited for what comes after these quickly approaching ‘firsts’ — the ‘middle.’ As Birdee Pruit and my parents say, “Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it is the middle that counts the most. You need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up.”
So, despite the sadness that comes with the end of such a sweet chapter, I’m holding out hope for an even sweeter future full of ‘middles’ as well as ‘firsts’ that get easier each time.
Lauren Discher is an English senior and Special Sections and Audience Engagement editor for The Battalion.