Its over.....

Well Ive got my dress shirt on still, and my long black coat from the presentation today. I went to bed at 4:30am last night, Ive had 3 cups of coffee, ....... and before today, I dont think I ever knew a feeling like this. I just walked away from one of the greatest struggles that can be faced. This day marks a turning point, today was a day like no other for me. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and although no one knew it, I was so happy to see it coming. I shook my professors hand tonight as I walked out of my 8:15pm final, and i told him, thanks for the class... I just graduated college.

I walked down the hall way that I had walked down for 4 years prior, thinking about how much has changed since the time I first took on the challenge this private engineering school presented. I realize, more and more that the most that Ive learned about, has been about myself. I learned what it takes to make it past struggles, ...... and that if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen.

Today I presented my senior project, the "web controled switch". I got to class early all dooded up like everyone else, because today was the end of all ends. As friends and classmates that I have been with for 4 years asked me for help ftping they files,... or we talked about class, asking the same things we've asked 1000 times before, i found myself thinking, wow ... today is my last day of experiancing this.

In consideration for another group in my class, I let them go ahead of me, even though i got to class early, and they were using my laptop, they had finals at 1pm and mine was at 6pm. ....then another group needed to go..... 2.5 Hours later, I finally got my turn to present... the class got a kick out of it. By that time I got up there, the classroom was alot emptier, there were about 25 out of the 40 that had come, and even 2 of the 4 professors who grade the projects left,... Some of my friends came back later on.... just to see me present my project, my sister even showed up and sat through 2 hours of presentations about, remote control cars with video cameras, alarm systems, and the optical keys that didnt work, which was awesome of her.

As I spoke, I thought about the first time in freshman year when we had to give presentations, and everyone was so awkward and shy, now we were fighting to go first. I remember the time we took all 35 of the internet outlet switches during that Electronics course that no one understood, and put them in the professors bag, and how we heard that the dean asked him why he took them. Or the time I had to stay up till 2am at school workin on a project that at 3am, we finally got running. Or the time our physics professor couldnt teach anymore.... he just stood there and said "I caynnt fyeeel my ayyarms... you all may go".... We had good times in college, 4 years, and we made the best of it. Those were the thoughts running through my head as I presented my project.

Theyre closing the school after this term, we are the last class to graduate from this campus. 2 years ago when they wanted to close it there was a HUGE fuss about it, we were on the news, but the brooklyn campus calls the shots, and they said that they were closing Long Island. So now as I leave this place I spent 4 years, I know I'll never see it again. I'll only remmeber the times, and people that came here, or friends that snuck in to meet me after class, or wave to me as I was taking a test, or in lab. Or friends that decided to go running by my class screaming my naming, for "kicks" hah!! Like i could forget about it! The nights I met up at applebees, Jillians or Starbucks,after class or Biagios for lunch. The time they toiletpapered my car, or the time I came out to find it covered with peanuts, or that time in the summer when we met here in the parking lot cause we knew there would be no parking at the movies accross the street.

I didnt hang with friends of mine from school. In school we got along great, but other than time spent at school, studying or working on project, I didnt hang with them. Most of my memories are with my friends out side of this school. But still i cant deny that whenever you spend time with someone, there a bond that forms. Whether you choose to except that fact or not, is up to you.

I did learn alot, I learned that a struggle doesnt have to be the end of your joy. You CAN make the best of things, even in the worst of times. College does just that, pushes you to your limits. My school prides itself on doing that. They dont tell you that half the professors dont speak english, that the equipment in the labs isnt gonna work, and that you are getting more homework than humanly possible. Owww your gonna be stresssed, but deal with it, ..... you can handle it.

Coming into college I was kid straight out of the Queens... I knew only city life, .... skating to the store to get milk, taking the train to the bus, to school and work, working at the deli on the corner,... but all that changed 4 years ago, when I moved to Long Island and started college. It was a new area, I didnt know anyone, I had no idea what to expect. Today im a computer engineer. heh. As I walked out of my 8:15pm final tonight I realized, I am a very different person than the person who came to this place 4 years ago. A little wiser, a little taller, (hah), and a little less skeptical, and a little bit more sure of who I wanna be. These are my thoughts on this day, my last day of college.