Bill Clinton and me Part III

This was supposed to be the final installment of what has been a running documentary/recollection about my visit to see President Clinton at the Grand Wayne Center. However, now that I know for sure that my final project is covering the May 6th primary; I have decided not to finish the three part series on my blog. Instead I will cover the Bill Clinton speech in my final project, both on my website and in the book I will be making for the class. So I am sorry, not that anybody was actually following the installments, but I do promise I finally will get around to the speech in my final project for Creativity and Community.

Instead, for my final blog of the semester, I would like to look back as I begin the final week of my collegiate career and reminisce about my time at IPFW. As I started the semester, I really didn’t think that graduating was going to be that big of deal to me. But, then again, I really do enjoy going to school. At one point, I honestly was considering going after a joint JD/PhD. If I did, I would have had twenty-five years of education under my belt before starting a career. However, I figured the JD would be enough without the PhD. I know that makes me abnormal, but I am the kid that added a third major just so I could still attend school. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to study English, but this gave me a chance to keep learning as I figured out what I wanted to do after I graduated from IPFW.

As I look ahead at my final week at IPFW, nostalgia has crept over me. Who would have thought I would ever reminisce about staying up till 3am banging out a project for the final time? Thinking about the last time in college I would be running off of four hours of sleep, but have it be worth it because you know you’re going to pull down all A’s. Thinking about getting that test back after studying and sweating it out, but seeing that you had learned everything the professor wanted you to learn. In the long run all things that meant little, but it meant something to me.

I also remember how pitiful I was at first about even being able to find a book in Helmke Library. I comically recall thinking about how I put together my first research paper. Not that my papers are anything special now, but I certainly have come a long way in four years. It’s funny, especially going through three different majors, I have a unique kind of perspective about growing, or I guess, maturing in college. I remember how much harder it was when I took all my history classes. Not that the material itself was tougher, but experience definitely helped me as I started on my political science and English majors. Experience is what you learn when you didn’t want to get it, but it was certainly something I needed to get.

I try and think about all the different people I have met at IPFW. I remember how nervous I was the first time I had to go and talk to a professor after class. Within a year or two there was no one in the department I didn’t know. Some I knew better than others, and many I owe so much for everything they did for me. So I guess last, but not least, I would like to thank all of the professors (and Barb) for all of the help and instruction I received at IPFW.