OPINION: Saying goodbye to the Castle on the Hill

By Stephanie Dyer

As I reflect on the past four years at Stonehill, one of the hardest things to comprehend is that it’s truly been four years. What stands out to me the most is the funny way that life falls into place. The chance interactions that lead to lifelong friends and the choices we make that cause sometimes unexpected, but necessary, self-growth. After four years of laughing, crying, and growing into the person that I am today, I’m thankful to say that when I look in the mirror I see a version of myself I am proud of. But this evolution could not have been possible without the Stonehill community.

As I get Snapchat notifications of “4 years ago today” I look back at photos of myself from freshman year and see an introverted English major with some questionable bangs who felt that she had a lot to offer but was never quite confident enough to speak up. I want to thank the first friends I made at Stonehill, Pat and Ryan, for helping me find my voice. Even if it was used to argue about who was getting up for the Dominos order left at the door of Villa. Without you two, I wouldn’t be as unapologetically myself as I am today. When I was looking at colleges, the campus community was one of my main considerations. I’m thankful that you two became my community as early as freshman year and we now have four years full of memories together.

I want to also recognize Angela Paradise, my advisor, and the professor who, from the moment I had her in my first semester of college, helped me realize that I needed to change my major to communications. I am not a morning person. My roommate Sarah can provide video evidence of me sleeping through the alarm next to me for thirty minutes straight, my personal record for sophomore year, so it should not be taken lightly when I say I would take any 8 a.m. class if Professor Paradise was teaching it. She genuinely cares for all of her students and some of my favorite classes over the past four years have been hers.

In the fall of my junior year I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Florence. I truly learned the meaning of independence when I showed up to my Italian apartment with a ten hour plane ride behind me and a six hour time difference between my family and I. I have to thank the study abroad department for making that experience possible for me. I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank Maria for never turning down one of my crazy suggestions while abroad, like buying a cat purse in Greece, having a fish pedicure, or taking a picture of something completely random and mundane for the sake of the “mems.”

With all that being said, a series of events occurred over the past year that I never could have expected when I returned home from abroad. I never expected to add a second minor my senior year, commute to campus in the fall semester, or go platinum blonde for a while. When I decided to live on campus for my last semester of college ever, hoping for a spot in New Hall, I never expected to land a random room in the junior courts, but it led me to make some of the best friends I’ve ever had during my time here.

As graduation is rapidly approaching, I hope there are more things to come that I could never expect. I hope that my friends and I could never expect how much we love the jobs we end up working at and the people we work with. I hope we can never expect the feeling of pride and accomplishment we will have at graduation as we walk down the steps from Donahue. But ultimately, I hope my friends and I never expect just how thankful we will be to Stonehill for our education, our memories, and for causing our paths to cross by chance in these past four years.