Salute to seniors

Senior James Davis came from Houston with few friends at IU, but soon after moving into Teter Quad he found two friends he’s still almost inseparable from, nearly four years later.\n“I didn’t know anyone,” said Davis, a senior majoring in business management. \nDavis sat with two other friends, seniors Jessica Sosa and Kate Santeramo, who he lived with in Teter freshman year, outside the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center. The trio recalled fond memories of 21st birthdays and Halloween parties at IU over the music blaring from inside the Alumni Center.\n“It went by so fast,” Sosa said of her IU experience.\nStudents from the class of 2007 gathered behind the DeVault Alumni Center to enjoy their last free meal at IU at the Senior Salute. \nGraduates were treated to free food, free IU Alumni 2007 pint glasses and the chance to win a variety of raffles prizes such as an IU iPod and free IU Alumni Association memberships. The event was hosted by the IU Student Alumni Association and the IUAlumni Association. Each school had its own table giving out T-shirts and other things to new grads.\nFriends scrunched together and waited in long lines for food to enjoy the beautiful weather before the gloom of finals week, and perhaps worse, the inevitable graduation. \n“We are all going totally different directions,” said Sosa, who plans to travel to Europe over the summer. \nSanteramo and Davis plan to look for jobs in Indianapolis and Houston. \nWhile they reminisce about dorm life, Sosa said she won’t miss homework or Bloomington traffic. \n“You’ll never get an experience like that,” Sosa said of living in \nthe dorms.\nAcross from a few students playing corn hole, sitting in the sun, senior Sarah Mellencampand her roommate enjoyed some of the free food provided by Papa John’s and Chipotle. \nMellencamp said that they met her freshman year in the dorms and have remained friends ever since. After graduation, Mellencamp wants to attend graduate school for physical therapy. \nAcross the stone patio, Austin Deakins, a political science major, sat with other friends. After hearing about Senior Salute through e-mails, Deakins said he not only came for the free food but to meet up with longtime friends at IU.\nLeaving for Houston to participate in Teach for America, Deakins said the only regret he had was not studying abroad. However, he had many fond memories of IU basketball games.\nHe recalled the recent “IU-Wisconsin game where we all rushed the court” and lots of memories “on Kirkwood and (at) Little 5.” He encourages all students to get basketball season tickets at least once.\nBesides studying abroad and buying season basketball tickets, Deakins had one other piece of advice for underclassmen.\n“Watch yourself in the Villas,” he said.