Well, I’ve done it. On May 24, 2008, I will officially welcome myself into American society and step out of the world of academia. I will be a college graduate.

If I could get through life on the coattails of academics I would be a happy person. Academics are something I am great at. I don’t mean to brag, but my teachers have taught me that confidence is the key in my profession. Now that I have grasped the academic side of life, I find myself in a precarious situation. I, like many others, have no idea what to do next.

Ever since I reached the everlasting last semester, I have been faced with the question, “So, what are you going to do now?” Normally, this is an interesting question. And normally, I would engage it with an appropriate answer. But at this time in my life the very words send my heart deep into my throat and prompt a pulsating rhythm to beat within my chest.

Professors have been telling me that this moment would come for years. Through papers, tests and speeches they have each been preparing us for this moment. While I feel a certain amount of anticipation of relinquishing these items, I wonder if any of them have helped me at all.

Kansascity.com is an online newspaper that featured an interesting piece for college students. Apart from having to find a job to begin paying off the loads of loans we often accumulate, college students have another thing to worry about. How are you going to stay insured? What most students forget is that once you have crossed the podium and received your diploma, your parent’s great health plan no longer applies to you. At this point, it’s probably good to start looking for another great plan.

Much of my time at Biola has been consumed by The Chimes student newspaper. Most students don’t understand that those who work for The Chimes live The Chimes. During the course of each week, students end up spending about 13 hours just on Wednesday to produce the paper you now hold in your hand. However, every student works diligently on this paper every week for very little recognition and very little pay. The Chimes staff also contains several graduating seniors who, although Wednesday nights are fun, are looking forward to some Chimes-free nights.

When that final piece of paper is pressed into our hands, college graduates will go through some interesting changes. Remember the last time you stayed up to until four in the morning to finish your paper? That will be a thing of the past. What about the last time you spent Monday afternoon relaxing on the lawn in front of the dorm? Yep, the workplace doesn’t really favor this type of activity.

There’s no point in lamenting what has past. I am a college graduate, and I will be leaving these hallowed grounds. But as I leave, some things will stick with me. Study hard, work harder, and never stop praying. Perhaps I have learned something here after all. And yes, academia has been a part of it.