Bottoms up!

Two thousand drinks and four years ago, I embarked on my journey at SMU. Well, I’m proud to say that my liver and I survived and made it out of here in four years.

Right now, I’m happy and sad (with a kick of queasiness remaining from Saturday night) about having to leave the Hilltop. But after thinking about it, I’ve decided that college is like a drink.

Some days are hard like a Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane that makes you want to pass out on the bathroom floor. Like the day I found out I failed economics a.k.a., the day my GPA hurled.

Other days are nothing but filled — the Bud Light days. These are the days you don’t remember, but nonetheless, they serve a purpose. Maybe it was a day I blew off EMIS class and went to the pool.

Then there are the Jaegermeister days. Days you simply want to forget. Days I’m not even going to bother mentioning.

Some days are like Crystal champagne. The days you know you’re on the top of your game like the bubbles in the champagne, you’re floating on Cloud 9. For me, it would be the day I got to be part of the White House press corps and take photos of President Bush when he visited before the 2004 election.

Then you’ve got your piña colada – a drink no one admits to drinking – days. You don’t want anyone to know what you’re doing. Like the day a fellow dormmate, Doug Havard, got arrested for the production of fake IDs. Did I have one? All I can say is that I don’t drink piña coladas, I swear.

Then there’s the whole college experience. It’s like a fine wine. It just gets better over time.

Finally, I’m looking forward to my Patrón day — May 14. A day I hope is as smooth as my tequila of choice.

On a more serious note, I really will miss my time on the Hilltop and working for The Daily Campus. The people I’ve had the privilege to interact and work with are second to none in my mind. SMU is truly a school headed in the right direction. The two biggest ways I’ve seen it happening is in the football team and Student Senate — beats I’ve had the privilege to cover.

I originally thought I would be sad to leave, but in all actuality, looking back at my time here, I don’t have a reason to be sad. Yes, I’ll miss the day-to-day interaction with my fellow students and DC staffers, but if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that moving on is rarely a bad thing. That said, the Hilltop has been the longest I’ve stayed in one place since I was 16. Four years is a long time, but I’ve made the most of it and I’m proud to say I now bleed red and blue and will do so until the day I die.

If you’re still reading this, I’m going to tell you my biggest regret — not getting involved and/or more involved until this year.

The No. 1 thing I’ve learned, is that real learning comes from outside of the classroom, and getting involved with a variety (or even one) of student organizations is the best way to apply the theories and practices taught in the classroom. Whether it’s Student Senate, The Daily Campus, an intramural sport or Mustang Marathon, it’s important to do something.

Besides the fact that it looks good on a résumé, you could actually have an impact on someone’s life, and ideally, a variety of people.

Finally, I just want to thank everyone who I’ve had the pleasure of working with in any capacity. Whether for a class project, on the newspaper or any other sort of activity, thanks for making my time at SMU memorable, enjoyable and entertaining.

Now, I’ve got some Patrón to look forward to. Bottoms up.