Just like that, I went from being a high school graduate to a nervous, excited freshman college student looking for some sort of direction.  Now as I sit here and write this, it’s hard to fathom how senior year came and went so quickly.

I can’t help but think back to my first day on campus – move in day. I swear it was one of the hottest days of summer. I remember lugging all my belongings up two flights of stairs in Ellis Hall to my room, number 211. I have to admit though, after hearing all the stories about Ellis being haunted, my roommate Emily and I were definitely on guard. For at least the first week, we would wake each other up in the middle of the night just to go to the bathroom.

But in all honesty, some of the best times I had in college were spent hanging out in Ellis, whether it was pulling pranks on our neighbors or just leaving our door open and having people constantly pop in to talk and hang out.

Since then, I have lived off campus for a year, I have lived in the newest residence hall, Hoff Hall, and now I have a two-bedroom apartment. Without all of these experiences, I wouldn’t have grown so much in the last three-and-a-half years.

I realized quickly that being involved is the best way to meet new people and to get those experiences that will change your life forever. In my three years, I was editor of the The Spartan, a community advisor, a student intern for the Marketing and Communications Department, a dispatcher for Public Safety, had two other off campus internships and was a member of the women’s volleyball team.

I truly believe that college is a lot more than just being a student. It’s about whom you are when you step away from the classroom. Some experiences however, will always stick with me.

Since I can remember, athletics have consistently played a huge role in my life and without hesitation I can still sit here and say some of my most fond memories in college involved sports – specifically volleyball.

I think back to the long pre-season days when I spent a countless number of hours with a group of girls who have truly made my college career unforgettable. It was the long bus rides, the practices, dance parties in the locker-room, goofing off whenever we could, but also being serious when we needed to be, the team dinners and the games we won and lost together. That I will truly miss.

On the last game of the year, playing Maine Maritime, I think I was still in denial that the season was coming to a close. Our team worked incredibly hard over the years to make it as far as we did and it wasn’t until the last point of the game that everything hit me all at once. The emotions overtook me and I couldn’t help but let it all out. When you have been playing sports your whole life, it’s hard to let go.

And it’s not just the competition that I will miss. It’s my teammates that became my best friends and the discipline the sport trained me to have in all aspects of life. Those are the things I am extremely thankful for.

But now that it’s over, I have currently been living the “NARP” life, or as some say, I am a retired athlete.

Although you’ve heard about my life as a student athlete, I would be doing an injustice to leave out the other parts of my life – hanging out with friends and partying. The many Thursday nights I spent with friends at Fishtail or just having casual wine nights with friends were always a blast. These were the times you really grew closer to friends, and more often than not you made new friends along the way.

This past summer, I moved into my apartment with my roommate, Shelby, and it was the best decision I’ve made. We had an exciting summer and have continued to really make senior year one to remember. The overall experience of living on your own, being independent and having freedom has been great and I am going to miss the fun times I’ve had with Shelby in that apartment.

I could go on and on about the fun times I’ve had, but that would be a never-ending book of crazy adventures.

I would like to say to all my friends, as Green Day said it, “I hope you had the time of your life.” It is such a bittersweet feeling to let go, but we will always have the memories to hold onto.

Kaylee Pratt

-Kaylee Pratt