Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Approaching my final semester at Syracuse University, the most important thing I’ve learned is that you don’t need to be changed. You need to be embraced. The past, present and future versions of yourself are all deserving of acknowledgement and appreciation.

The phrase “I’ve been changed as a person” is a fairly common one. I’ve heard it frequently with graduation creeping around the corner. As I hear people reflect on their college careers, many claim SU has changed them, that the person they were when they started college is no longer who they are as they graduate.

Full transparency: I think that’s a silly thing to say. But, to be fair, I used to see no problem with it. On the contrary, I used to look forward to the day I’d post my graduation photos and craft a caption saying a similar phrase. But now that I’m getting closer to wrapping up at SU, I don’t think that way at all anymore.

I don’t think I’m a different person than I was four years ago. In fact, I know I’m not. The scared,........

© The Daily Orange