Four years. It’s hard to believe how fast they flew by.
How in the world is it that nearly four years ago, I was here in the middle of July for orientation? Looking back that far, there are only a few things that stand out in my mind: Al (one of my Orientation Advisers), Tim (a damn good local trumpeter) and my ID card (I needed a bit of a haircut and a shave).
Looking back to Year 1, my one regret was probably taking Calculus 2. I didn’t need to take it to start, having completed my math GenEd credit with my AP Calculus AB score. However, I didn’t know that at the time and still worked my way through the course.
Apart from that, there are a number of positives from that year, like joining WHRW and Pipe Dream and taking two interesting courses, one on British spy fiction that lead to an espionage thriller idea that’s been bouncing around my head all this time, and another on the evolution of cinema. And there was also Jon Stewart’s stand-up gig, which set the bar, in my opinion, for future comedian gigs on campus.
I have no major outstanding disappointments about Year 2, apart from the lackluster Andy Samberg gig. I was expecting more than a question-and-answer session and a greatest hits-style clip show. However, that was balanced out with a good deal of stimulating courses.
There was the standard journalism introductory course with Roessner (seriously knows his stuff), Alternative Fictions with Shirley (a must-take), Shakespeare with Vos (THE Shakespeare professor), Symbolism in Popular Culture with Church, and Pop, Rock and Soul with Lalli.
All the professors conveyed that they knew what they were talking about or handily lead masterful discussions about society and popular culture, expanding the horizons of their classes.
That was also the year that I got to know Daniel Jan Walikis, WHRW’s late grandpa, whom I eulogized back in February.
The fall semester of junior year was probably my best in terms of overall classes. Contemporary Adolescent Literature with Signorotti (a must-take), British Literature I with Nace (who may not be returning next year), Tai Chi with talks with trees (who may also not be returning next year) and Zombie Nation with Shirley (another must-take), along with a video production class.
They made for quite a stimulating and engaging semester through the reading lists and sometimes rambling class discussions.
That spring brought a rewarding internship with the Office of Media and Public Relations on campus, along with Apocalyptic Literature with Grayson (who has since moved on), Comics with Sharp (not as easy as you’d expect, but still engaging) and Literary Theory (which, I’ve heard, has since been improved with TAs and discussion sections, which would have helped greatly).
My main regret from last year was Aziz Ansari. He was decent, but it took me a while to warm up to his material, as I wasn’t too familiar with him or his style.
And how can I even sum up a year that is just about to be over? Perhaps just the milestones, like seeing Andrew Bird and Neil deGrasse Tyson, taking an independent study with professor Shirley, finally getting into a Ryan Vaughan class and working in a greater capacity at the radio station.
That’s what everything boils down to: Four years recapped in a little over 600 words. It has been a wonderful experience overall and I thank everyone who has been there along the way.
I bid you all adieu and close out this 44th and final column with wish for luck to all on whatever the future holds. Safe travels and allons-y!