"Well-behaved women seldom make history."
The famous words of Laura Thatcher Ulrich, also attributed to Marilyn Monroe and Eleanor Roosevelt, have proved that women across the globe have left their mark in the history books.
So here I am, four years later, and what have I done to leave my mark at Saint Mary's College? The answer to that question is still unfolding as graduation festivities begin.
Have I left any marks?
This is my final chance to do so in this fine publication we call The Observer, so here it goes.
To my fellow Belles, the Class of 2013, the last of Smicks to bask in the glory of co-exes, the seniors that felt the heat from the Great Moreau Fires of 2013 and my classmates, this final column is for us and all of the marks we have made at Saint Mary's over the past four years.
This one is for you. This is our mark.
Looking back down The Avenue, I see the memories, the laughs, the tears, the senior comprehensives, the tests, quizzes, papers and a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten by my sister Belles.
How surreal is it to think that just four short years ago, we were new to this place we now call home? We were unknowing, naïve and even a bit shy to allow ourselves to open up to this wonderful place.
This brings me to our stellar education at Saint Mary's.
In the last 169 years of higher education, Saint Mary's has produced many wonderful women who have become some of the brightest minds out there.
Do you remember Annie Camden from "7th Heaven," otherwise known as Catherine Hicks? She is a Smick. How about Adriana Trigiani, famous author and screenwriter? Also a Saint Mary's graduate.
If they left their mark on Saint Mary's, well, so can we.
As I sit here during my final finals week and think about what I have done to be part of this wonderful institution, I think back again to leaving a mark on Saint Mary's.
Maybe it was never meant to be a mark left by me, but rather, Saint Mary's leaving a mark on me.
This place, so beautiful and vibrant, is a place that will forever be my home away from home. While it may be terrifying that we Belles must leave our home soon, the excitement of knowing we are always welcome back will forever remain.
This time when we drive down The Avenue for the final time as students, remember to take a look back at the trees that line the road, Holy Cross Hall, LeMans front lawn and lastly, the Welcome Center.
After that final glance back, then you will know Saint Mary's has left its mark on you forever and it will always be inviting you back.
As my parting words to my Belles of 2013, President Mooney knows best.
"We alumnae know what a profound mark the College has made in our personal and professional lives."
Congratulations to my Smicks. We did it.
Jillian Barwick is graduating with a degree in communications with a concentration in mass communications and a minor in public relations and advertising. She would like to thank her parents for encouraging her to pursue her perhaps unconscious dream of being a Belle, her Saint Mary's sisters and her KegacyKrawlers, for without them, there would have been less fun in her life. She can be reached at
jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
