The walls of the dorm are covered from top to bottom with posters from various Union events. From a promotional poster of an improv show four years ago to a colorful open mic invitation from Barefoot’s, the wall behind and around Tanner Cherry is quite the display. I make a comment about it and he laughs, stopping to look around and smile, as if just realizing the lack of space left on the dorm’s walls for future posters. His roommates sit behind me watching an NBA game, as Chick-Fil-A sandwiches make the room smell exactly how you’d think a dorm at a Christian university should smell.
“It gives you something to look at sometimes. Good memories…bad memories, ” Cherry says as he glances around the living room.
My eye catches a Quidditch poster hanging above the fire extinguisher. I point this out to Cherry and he looks at it quizzically.
“I’m not even sure what Quidditch is,” he says.
With his lack of knowledge in Harry Potter, Cherry, a senior computer science major, opened up about his sudden awareness about leaving a place he’s been living in for the past four years. With graduation approaching, seniors at Union are battling the past and the future as they prepare to move on from university life and enter the real world.
Cherry reflected on his time at Union more than anything, acknowledging how thankful he is for his friends and the community Union has. Although admitting he is introverted more than most, Cherry knows it will be the people he misses more than anything.
“I’m looking forward to a change of pace and the new challenges and adventures,” Cherry said. “It’ll be weird waking up and walking out of my dorm and not seeing at bunch of people.”
Being a senior at Union means having lots of opportunities ahead of you, and this is different for everyone, but the experience of Union is something most can’t forget, whether they liked it or not. It’s one of the most impactful times in a young person’s life.
Stephen Neu, a senior business management major, said graduating doesn’t even seem real at times.
“It didn’t hit me until I watched my fiancé walk the stage herself this past weekend,” Neu said.
Neu remarked about how he’s handled time management since freshman year. Being intentional and purposeful is important, and Neu’s attempt to utilize his time has been one of the most important factors in his growth as a student. Neu will be coordinator of service and mobilization for Union’s Office of University Ministries after he graduates.
“I’m gonna miss living with some of my closest guy friends,” Neu said. “I’m used to living with and around those guys. There’s always people around, and there’s always opportunities to spend time with others.”
Moving on from college can be scary and exciting all at the same time. Seniors have to grapple with major life decisions while still plowing through one last week of finals. No matter their situation or their future plans, Union’s impact on seniors is substantial.
Amber Reed, a senior communications major, spoke of how thankful she is for Union, specifically Greek Life.
“I never thought in a million years I would end up being president of Chi Omega,” Reed said. “It was honestly such a humbling experience and taught me so many lessons. I have similar desires as I did freshman year, but they’re more narrowed now.”
Reed is in a similar boat along with Cherry and Neu and most seniors, in the sense that looking forward means looking backwards, at all the fun and not-so-fun moments on campus. Reed wishes she wouldn’t have let the chaos and business of college prevent her from forming relationships. As is the theme for seniors, it’s these relationships she formed that she’ll forever cherish.
“It’s a bitter sweet thing, but I know college was just a season and it has equipped me well for the season to come,” Reed said.
Reed will be preparing for her competition in the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant this June and hopes to move on to apply as a public relations specialist at one of the Children’s Hospitals in Tennessee.
No matter the story, all seniors inevitably take time to look back on the good and bad times. After years of change and growth, it’s amazing to see how people have transformed. If we can learn anything from those who are moving on to a new season of life, it’s that pursuing people while pursuing Christ is a task one will never regret.