When my class was dismissed last Tuesday, I had a smile on my face. It was my last class of college ever.
My classmates standing next to me asked me how it felt. I told them it was great!
Then, as I walked past the Academic Building after leaving Bolton Hall one final time, I thought to myself: This is it? Really?
It hadn’t hit me until then. This was it.
Fortunately, that means no more 8 a.m.’s, paying for parking or trying to navigate my way to class around this university’s endless construction.
But it also means no more strolls down Military Walk, no more bumping into pals in the MSC and no more fall Saturdays at Kyle Field.
I kind of got frightened. Being a College Station native, this is the only home I’ve ever known, and Texas A&M has always been a part of it.
When I went to an advising meeting last April, I was unexpectedly told I would be graduating in December, which is a semester early. The news was exciting, but also sad. I felt I was being cheated short of my time here in Aggieland.
This fall was a blur. It went by so fast. I’m not ready for the ride to be over, but here we are.
The good news is, I believe I’m ready for the next step.
I can only praise the Lord for blessing me with amazing experiences these past three-and-a-half years, surrounding me with some of the most loving people and building me into not only a better journalist, but a better man.
I’ve been writing for The Battalion since before I was even a student. There’s been some amazing times and some tough ones, but I hope I have contributed to the greater good of keeping Texas A&M’s readership informed with fair and accurate news.
I urge our readers to keep picking up the paper. The Battalion, and journalists in general, need our readers to show their support more than ever.
I thank two people in particular – Douglas Pils and Angel Franco – for helping mold me into a better journalist during my time at The Battalion. They’ve helped lead me from the start, and I wouldn’t be here without them.
The future remains uncertain, but one thing is for sure: this isn’t goodbye to College Station and Texas A&M. It’s a see you later.
Home is home no matter where life may take me. And home will always be College Station and Texas A&M.
Alex Miller is a journalism senior and sportswriter for The Battalion.