Are you ready?

By Alicia Jaimes
The month of May is always a conflicting time for me.
Will I find summer work? How many times can I binge-watch Grey’s Anatomy before heading back to school in the fall?
However, this May has been particularly weird for me.
You see, I’m 22 and coming up on my final year at Ferris State University; and as my friends and colleagues walked across the stages at their universities, I think of the Newaygo County high school seniors eagerly counting down the days ‘til their own graduations and am left with a sense of...I’m not quite sure yet.
If I close my eyes tight enough, I can still remember my graduation from Grant High School.
My hair was absurdly orange, I was modeling a ridiculous tennis tan and I was a mixture of sad and excited. A chapter of my life was closing, and I had no idea what I wanted to do next.
I remember the nerves as I heard the band playing and as my classmates began filing through the gymnasium doors in alphabetical order. Everyone was so nervous they might trip during their grand entrance.
We took our seats as speeches were given about our bright futures full of hope and possibilities and I looked through the sea of caps and gowns in search of my best friends, and before I knew it:
“I give you the class of 2013.”
And then I blinked.
Now, five years later, I find myself preparing to wear another cap and gown, except this time, I won’t be peering through a crowd of familiar faces. Where has the time gone?
All I can think about are those eager students posting photos of their caps and gowns saying, “I’m ready.”
Boy, I hope they are. I hope they are prepared for living away from home, roommate squabbles and the inevitable “all-nighter.” I hope they are ready to embrace college life with open arms and absorb all that this experience had offered to me.
A taste of adulthood.
From the eager teenager, ready for anything, to the awkward adult I am today. I can confidently think of where I’ll be this time next year and say, “I’m ready.”
I just hope to God I don’t trip.

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