I'M GRADUATING AND I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THIS.

During freshman orientation this year, I had the honor of welcoming the freshman class of 2019 to Ringling College of Art and Design at the Van Wezel performing arts hall. I was the last person to give a welcome speech before a Q&A Session, following our school President Dr. Thompson and many others with very official titles. For four long speeches I sat behind the stage, where I looked at a sign that said "It's WAY-ZUL, NOT Weasel!!!!!" and this exact picture that I found now by google image searching "no weasels allowed sign":

When I got on stage, I opened my speech with the following:

"So, most of you won't remember the speech I give today....and that's okay. I like to hope that, of all the events you have to look forward to these next four years, this speech will not be the highlight of your Ringling Experience."

I literally don't remember the rest of my speech, and any freshmen/rising sophomores at Ringling can probably confirm that they forget it as well. And now, as I approach graduation tomorrow, I see that this will more or less be the rest of my life...and that's also okay.

These past four years at Ringling have been, as they say in America, "like, a lot." It's hard to pinpoint specific memories or "classic college stories", which is why I don't write blog posts very often. But I do know this: When I look back at the time I spent here, I'm not going to think about how big and special my graduation ceremony was, or how eloquently spoken the speeches were that day. I won't remember what shoes I wore, although I'll probably remember what I ate for dinner because I have my priorities in check.

When I look back at the time I spent at Ringling, I'm going to think about the cool people I knew and hope that I impacted their life in some way. I'll think about my student work that seems REAL COOL right now, but I know won't be good enough a year from today. I'll think about a piece of paper in the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall that's strongly against the word "weasel".

The thing that ultimately matters upon graduation was that the four years it took to get to this point were really great. Or really terrible. Or somewhere in between. As long as they happened.

So to the Class of 2015 and all those who have mattered in our lives, thanks for being a part of it. This must be how Will Smith felt on the finale episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, only with more student loans and less comic relief.

Yo holmes, smell ya later!