From the Editors

Ashley Reynolds, Viewpoint Editor

Here we go again, another year at UW-La Crosse! For some of you it’s your first year (welcome freshmen), for the rest it’s a repeat, just another obstacle to the finish line. But it’s so much more than that!

As I walked into my first class on the first day back I realized that it was my last first day of school ever. I’m a senior now! Talk about a strange feeling. All we’ve known up to now is school. We start kindergarten before we can even form full memories and then every year after that we just continue to go to school and come home, do homework, go to bed, repeat (except for the summers of course). But is that really all we do?

Think about it, these past 18-20 some years have been some of the most important, influential years of our lives! These past years have begun to shape who we really are as people. If we were lucky we got to spend good, quality time with our families and friends creating relationships and memories that would last a lifetime. We were part of a club or sport that pushed us and made us better people. If we were lucky enough we made mistakes that taught us valuable life lessons. Most of us probably went through an awkward stage, whether it be with fashion or passing fads, that we can look back and laugh on. And we all know that we made it through those angsty teen years our parents secretly hated us for. We’ve all watched people walk in and out of our lives teaching us who really deserves our love and friendship.

My point is so much has changed. Our adolescence was an essential period of our lives and schooling has been along for the entire ride. Now that the end of my college years are in sight, I’m starting to realize its time to really grow up. Its time to make my own decisions, its time for a completely new stage in my life, which is terrifying and exciting all at the same time!

That being said, embrace your years here. Whether this is your first or last year at UW-L take advantage of the environment that surrounds you. Take advantage of your peers and learn from them, have fun with them, make new and lasting relationships. Try new things and get out of your comfort zone. Make mistakes, be a kid! Because before you know it the real world will be knocking at your door. Don’t get me wrong, growing up isn’t a bad thing, in fact it is the complete opposite. But being a kid is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We’ve got the rest of our lives to be grown ups, so embrace your years at UW-L! Begin and end your college years with a bang! As you walk around campus, riverside or downtown La Crosse this fall semester, soak it all in! To the best years of our adolescent lives! Have a great one, UW-L!