How do you say goodbye to people that you care about? How do you say goodbye to people that you have become friends with, when you know that you may never see them again? How do you even find the time or even the right words to go to every single person here and say thank you and farewell?
I have been at the University of La Verne for two and a half years, and I’m finding that I had more people involved in my life here than I thought I had. And I’m finding that this task that I’ve set forth to do is one of the next hardest things I’ve had to do.
To some of you, this may come as a shock, and to some of you just a final verdict that I’m not kidding about what I may have already told you or of what you may have already heard. Some will pass over this column and think nothing of it.
I have withdrawn from ULV for personal reasons. I’m leaving March 9 for Winters in Northern Calif., and then I’m off to Pennsylvania. Who didn’t see that last part coming? Then from there it is off to either Michigan or Ohio to finish pursuing my career in journalism in the fall.
“But why?” Some you may be asking now. It all comes down to the fact that I am miserable down here. I’m not happy and bad grades and unhappiness are not worth the frustration of forcing myself to stay down here, especially when the end result could very well end up with an even lower grade point average, which is not helpful to my college career.
As a final thought to you, follow your dreams and take risks. Do what is necessary for you to be happy and successful. So many people in this world may see success as having a lot of money and having luxurious things. I see success as happiness and reaching goals.
I think that one’s happiness is one of the most important things a person should focus on. And it should be at the top of the list of important things to achieve.
For a long time, my own happiness hasn’t ever appeared on my list. For far too long, my focus was on pleasing the people around me, which included my peers, professors and family. It never really occurred to me that I wasn’t happy with the way my life was going.
I think that for the first time in my life, I’ve made the decision for me. It was a hard decision and a life changing one, but I think that for the moment and the current situation, it was the right one.
It may seem selfish or dumb. I’ll have one more year, yes, but honestly, I was barely making it through this last semester. Three weeks in and my drive and motivation to finish up this semester were already gone, with no real sight of making a come back. I don’t expect you to understand, just accept.
I will miss ULV and all of the people that I have met here. I’m leaving behind my sorority sisters who have been there for me all along, as well as numerous friends whose quantity is too large to even estimate, all of whom mean a lot to me and have shown me and let me in to different aspects and views of life.
All of these lessons and views have molded me and shaped me into who I am now.
With a knot in my stomach, I say thank you for all of the wonderful memories and for the harsh lessons that I have experienced here.
Good luck in your future and may you succeed in as many ways as possible. Keep your head up and don’t be afraid to fall once in a while and never forget to get back up. Keep in touch if you can. But for now, goodbye.
Crystal Apilado, a junior journalism major, is features editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at cma81@juno.com.
