I've been putting off writing this column for almost a week and a half now. Anyone who knows me well knows I am not a creative writer. I really dislike it and would prefer to do almost anything else. I'm a computer science major and my job at The Observer dealt strictly with taking photos and making videos - nothing involving a lot of writing talent. I procrastinated as much as humanly possible each time I was required to write a column for The Observer for the sole reason I dreaded having to write it.
This column is different.
It's due in only a couple of hours, but for the first time, the reason I delay writing it isn't a loathing of writing.
This time, it's for something more.
Writing this column is accepting that my college career at Notre Dame is coming to an end. It's accepting that in no time at all I will be graduating and will be having to say goodbye to this place.
It's a goodbye I've been trying to avoid. A goodbye that, honestly, I'm not quite ready for.
The reason I've been avoiding the finality of the next coming weeks is because of the love I have for this wonderful place. My unwillingness to say goodbye validates the impact this University, the people and the experience have had on my life.
Each and every moment here has made Notre Dame what it is to me today, and for that I will be forever grateful to everyone who contributed to my experience here.
I am lucky to have had wonderful professors who challenged and inspired me, who have helped me succeed in receiving the best education imaginable and have taught me far more than just academics.
I am lucky to have had such great classmates who have constantly humbled me by their brilliance and who have been my companions as we've struggled through 8 a.m. exams, ridiculous assignments, challenging group projects, all-nighters and stress-induced mental breakdowns.
I am lucky to have had such terrific co-workers at The Observer who have impressed me with their talent and dedication, who I've shared late nights in the office with, who have been my travel companions everywhere from Dublin to Miami, who have given me some of the most unbelievable opportunities of my life and helped make the office my second home while on campus.
I am lucky to have spectacular friends, both old and new, who have given me countless unforgettable memories and who have been continuous sources of support, compassion, happiness and humor. I've been lucky for the ones who have kept me sane, who I've been able to lean on and who have become family.
To all these extraordinary people who have molded my experience at Notre Dame, I have been incredibly blessed to have known you these past four years.
So now, instead of saying goodbye, I say thank you.
Thank you for the memories, the friendships and the smiles. Thank you for making Notre Dame the place that I love so much, and thank you for making this experience one that is so hard to say goodbye to.
I've been extremely lucky.
Sarah O'Connor is graduating with a degree in Computer Science. She would like to thank her
family for their love and support, her friends for always being there and everyone who has been a part of her Notre Dame experience. Sarah can be reached at sarah.a.oconnor.1@gmail.com
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
