April has begun, and we only have a month left of classes. Most people cannot wait for the year of rigorous academic studying to be over and for their three month break to begin. Exciting plans for the summer are awaiting everyone. Trips, new jobs, new experiences all lie ahead. Sweltering hot days, tan lines and bonfires are on everyone’s mind, and the wait for May 4 is becoming unbearable. Of course we all have Veishea and finals to look forward to, but summer is calling out for us.

For some students, the adventure at Iowa State is coming to an end and congratulations are in order; for others, the adventure has only just begun and it is full of excitement. New opportunities wait to be discovered each passing year.

A few weeks ago I had the intention of writing a column about all the things that were wrong with college, but the more I thought about it, the more I could not write it. For me, my adventure at Iowa State has been everything I could have hoped for when I was a senior in high school imagining college, and I can honestly say I am looking forward to every minute of the next two years here.

In my one short year here at Iowa State, I have managed to start a new club, shake hands with nearly every Republican presidential candidate, write for a collegiate paper, make new friends and become a part of a new community.

Of course, there are still the typical bumps in the road to collegiate enjoyment. I have also learned to loathe Blackboard, found professors with whom I will never take a class from again, and created a fine collection of parking tickets, but the good far outweighs the bad.

Each adventure is different in its own way. Full of learning, and not always academic learning, and full of mistakes, each adventure has taught each of us something new about ourselves, whether it is the first year of college and we have learned how to live apart from the lives we grew up with or whether it is the end of the ISU adventure and there are new adventures waiting ahead.

As the year draws to a close, I urge everyone to take a step back and look at all the great experiences they have had. The finish line is well within sight now, and as we all stare at it tantalizingly, we must remember to look at the present and see all the great things going on around us.

As we begin to look back and reflect on our time here, we just may realize our adventures are no longer what we have done but what have we not done. Nearly any senior will say they have done everything they could have ever hoped to have accomplished during their time here at Iowa State.

Summer brings us a lot to look forward to, but so does the remainder of the year and the years to come for that matter. Adventures are waiting everywhere, so when you are packing up your dorm room and waiting for the first summer night of freedom, do not forget to look back and reflect on the year. After all, the adventure is short and does not last forever, so relax and enjoy the ride.