When I walked onto the campus of Georgia Tech, the sky seemed bluer, the grass seemed greener, Tech was IT! I was captivated by the White and Gold and tempted to touch the Ramblin’ Wreck. But every day was not easy. A couple of times, I thought about throwing in the towel, but then I remembered a song by one of my favorite musicians, Frank Sinatra, called “My Way”. Here’s how it applied to my life.
Sinatra starts off the song by singing “And now, the end is near. And so, I face the final curtain.” Well, it’s about that time that I close this seemingly never-ending chapter of my life. It has been a whirlwind of adventures and moments, yet I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ll probably miss it, as hard as it was at times.
“I've lived a life that's full. I traveled each and every highway.” Quite literally, I traveled each and every highway as I went on the longest trip abroad through the best program at Tech (yes, I may be biased) the Oxford Program. It was challenging to be so far away w/o my family, but I made it through. It grew me up a lot. I made the best friends who I still talk to, had the best group leader, and the best professors. I’m high key obsessed with art now. My time at Tech has been full, from the people I have met along this journey to the things I have done.
“Regrets, I've had a few, But then again, too few to mention.” I thought about leaving Tech freshman year, as I’ve mentioned before. My GPA definitely took a blow that year and life was anything but pleasant. However, I am so glad I stayed. I would not have had the same experience elsewhere, and I likely would not have been afforded all of the same opportunities. I could dwell on could’ve, would’ve, and should’ves, but everything I’ve done and endured has made me who I am.
“I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption.” I came for everything I said I would and a little more. Even when the going got tough, I made sure that I did what I had to do.
“I planned each charted course. Each careful step along the byway.” I had my plans. I came in as a completely different major, and had life somewhat mapped out. BUT I realized that change is inevitable. No matter how many times one goes through a plan, even with a fine-toothed comb, their course will likely be altered in some way, and that’s ok.
“Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew, When I bit off more than I could chew. And through it all, whenever there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall. And did it, did it my way.” This whole paragraph fits me. I’m good for taking on more than my fair share, and my grandma typically will tell me I’m overloading my plate, but I tell her I’m going to find a way to make it happen. Most of the time, I do. Sometimes, I have to get some stuff off my plate. I’m still learning that “less is more.”
“I've loved, laughed and cried. I've had my fill my share of losing.” All I can say is that it took blood, sweat, and tears. There were times where I thought I would not pass a class or ever make it out of here in one piece. But here we are.
“And to think I did all that. And may I say not in a shy way.” I already listed all of my accomplishments, the most difficult and surprisingly has been the 48-page thesis! I still cannot believe it, but I’ve done a lot in the past 4 years.
So, “The record shows I took the blows. And did it my way.” - Frank Sinatra
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