Four years in review

In 10 days, after I stuff the final contents of my room into boxes, I will put on a funny hat and robe and be done. Like thousands of you, I too will be marching into Assembly Hall wondering if my family can spot me in the sea of graduates. \nAs I write this -- my last column and piece in the Indiana Daily Student -- on my Toshiba that's lasted me four years, I wonder if any of you are thinking the same things.\nWho will I stay in touch with? How will my first day of work go? Isn't there a cheaper health care plan out there? When will I be able to visit Bloomington again? The future is daunting. But for now, as I study for my last finals and read my last textbooks, I cannot help but replay the last four years in my mind.\nThe world was a much different place when we entered this University. As the first class to enter IU in a post-Sept. 11 world, we have had to deal with much more than just term papers and hangovers. We, the largest freshman class ever at IU, knew what we were getting ourselves into when we took on the world.\nSince the fall of 2002, we have witnessed a long-lasting war in Iraq, a disaster in the Gulf Coast, a divisive yet momentous election, a heartbreaking shuttle disaster, a beloved governor's death in office, deadly terrorist attacks in London and Madrid, an unexplainable tsunami and the sad passing of our childhood president. \nAnd, of course, we have watched this University change. Remember the first floor of the then-Main Library as a freshman? Nothing like the Information Commons now. We received a No. 1 party school ranking and subsequently dealt with Playboy, porn in dorms and Teen Keira scandals. For one year, we enjoyed "free" buses, and we began to save the Athletics Department with a $30-per-year involuntary donation.\nWe had some hard times. We lost Ashley Crouse and Christine Wampler, among other classmates. We witnessed a plane crash, a suicide attempt at Ballantine Hall and the recovery of Jill Behrman's body. But we had some great times, too. We brought in James Earl Jones, Jimmy Fallon and Ann Coulter. We got Facebook. We rode some historic Little 500s and ran some great IUSA elections.\nThe world has changed, IU has changed, and so has our perspective. Life as an 18-year-old standing in front of a freshman dorm on a hot summer day seems like a lifetime away. Though we have shared all these events together, we without a doubt all have individual experiences that will also define our college years. For me, it has been meeting my future husband, late nights and long hours at the IDS, fun-filled nights at the Jif and pulling all-nighters with friends and Polar Pops at the library. Ask yourself. What defines your four years?\nSo now we flip our tassels and we change our statuses on Facebook. Geography: Chicago. Year: Alumna. Relationship Status: Married. Let us take on the world with the same conviction, vigor and humility we did four years ago. Be fearless, class of 2006, and let us change the world for the better.