REFLECTION ISSUE 89.07
REFLECTIONS OF A
soon-to-be
College
Graduate
WRITTEN BY JESSICA SUTTER ILLUSTRATION BY ANNILEE RUSSELL
pushing questions of “What do you want to be when
enjoyable. A lot of the social pressures we now real-
ber writing on my great grandma’s typewriter as a
you grow up?” were bestowed upon you. What did
ize were silly are gone; some people still act the
little kid, and now here I am, almost 23, and writ-
you like to do before those pressures were thrown
same, but I don’t care anymore. I don’t care anymore
ing on a brand new laptop on my college campus.
on you? I think even as adults, it’s important for us
about these small things, but I also treat everything
When you’re a kid, you idealize these moments, and
to get in touch with that part of ourselves; to redis-
with so much more care than before.
when you’re there you enjoy it but are very anxious
cover what made us happiest in our most careless
As most Long Beach Unified School District
about the future. You end up realizing you get a lot
and innocent times, and never let that go as you
students do, I took a field trip here when I was in
more out of the present when you aren’t constantly
grow up, even when your responsibilities increase.
4th or 5th grade; I remember the school provided
worrying about the future or the past.
So many things change in all of the years that
lunches with cookies so rock hard a student threw
These are the times I used to dream about as a
you are in school. It used to be terrifying having no
them at a brick wall, and it didn’t break. Luckily now
kid, and these are now the memories I will daydream
one to eat lunch with or play with at recess, but now
I’m on a giant campus with multiple restaurants
about when I’m older. As I’ve grown older, my grati-
I’m not at all afraid to eat lunch by myself on the
instead of one small cafeteria of frozen food. The
tude has grown more and more. I know now that we
lawn under the trees; in fact I find so much peace
school seemed so big and endless, and now I’m here
are all always close to death, and when you remem-
in it. I used to dread going to school once it wasn’t
as an adult and it feels much smaller. Although, the
ber that, every moment alive is beautiful. I’m grate-
just arts and crafts anymore; I would pretend to
world feels much, much bigger.
ful for all the times I’ve been able to dodge death,
be sick so that I could stay home, but now that I’m
You always idolize graduating all those years
and everyone else should be, too. Don’t be scared
done with all those terrible math classes, and I’m
you’re in school, but when you get to that point, you
for the future; be grateful, and excited you’ve been
just learning things that I find interesting, it’s more
start having scary new feelings about it. I remem-
given the opportunity to experience it.
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