Thanks for the memories

My first visit to SMU was in 7th grade. Core 7.1 of Blalack Middle School was on campus to see a modernized performance of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Bob Hope Theatre of the Owens Fine Arts Center.

Never in a million years did I think that I would find myself on this campus again as student. And never in a million years, back then, did I think I would graduate from here.

Even after attending three graduations at three different universities within the past year, diploma day still seemed so far away.

But now, as I stand on the threshold between academia and God’s good humor, I look back and realize that four years really did fly.

I still remember the frigid day in December when my folks and I paid the campus a visit. And I remember the scorching day in August when I moved in and met my then roommate and now great friend Aden Buhs.

My good friend, Brian Gan, told me once that, in high school we figure out who we’re not; in college we figure out who we are. The people we meet and the moments that we live eventually define the content of our character.

I’ve had my share of both good and bad relationships and moments during my time at SMU. And I have to admit, I wouldn’t give any of them up for the world.

I will miss the meals at Umphrey Lee. Sure, the food was pretty good. But I had fun swiping in all my commuter friends and my parents every Wednesday during my sophomore year. I’m sure that my friend from UT Southwestern appreciated the free meal the most.

I will miss weekly meetings with our fellowship counselor Elice Wong at the SMU Bookstore when she worked near campus. It was a good time of rest, prayer and encouragement, especially when one of the guys, Jonathan Lim, was getting ready to graduate and return to Brunai.

I will miss Michelle Cashman, my Rhetoric I professor. Whether you like the way I write or not, she’s the one who taught me how to do it. I owe her a lot.

I will miss the parking…oh, wait…

I will miss my “supervisor” Tish Mussey-Hitt in the production department of the theater school. We were both new to SMU, and the past few years have been an educational and amusing experience.

I will miss the scene shop guys: Steve Leary, Eliseo Gutierrez and Clay Houston. I will miss the chess games against Eliseo, even though I’ve only won about three in four years. I’ll miss freshly cut pine boards, latex paint on my jeans and sawdust on my shoes.

I’ll miss 4-hour-long games of racquetball, where the object of the game is not to hit the wall but your opponent. I got more of a workout laughing than actually playing the game.

I’ll miss Judy Babb and the nights that I worked up at The Daily Campus, when Kris Norvet was the editor in chief and Jake Lewis was the Arts and Entertainment editor.

I will miss Metro at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano. He’s not there anymore, but I will miss Matt Chandler’s inspirational messages and hysterical stories.

I will miss the random trips to Downtown Dallas. The occasional weekend concerts in the West End were always entertaining. I’ll never forget the time when one of my friends skipped work to join me and two others on our excursion in the city. I recall that we got lost and had to ask a city guide for directions. She happily obliged and even gave us a map of the best attractions. And when she asked where we were from, we answered, “Dallas.”

But most of all, I’ll miss the conversations. I’ll miss the debates, whether theological, political, and everything outside and in between.

I’ll miss the stories of what life was like back in places like the Philippines, Hong Kong, Washington State, Florida and so on.

I’ll miss the random conversations with my best friend Daphne Lo and Sam Tan.

And I’ll miss the random comments that spark some of the longest and most meaningful discussions that I will ever have.

Four years really have flown by, haven’t they? I paid over $20,000 a pop for them. And I honestly think I got my money’s worth.

Thanks for the memories SMU. I’ll see you on the other side of the Rotunda on May 14th.