Goodbye Otter Realm
Shannon Conner, Production Manager
sconner@csumb.edu
I remember it like yesterday. I spent months packing, making sure I had everything I would need, minus the trip to Target after I moved in. I loaded my car and started the long drive to college.
My first year at CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB) passed in a blur. I spent many weekends driving down Highway 101 to San Diego, and getting two speeding tickets along the way. After living in the same house from the day I was born to the day I moved into my residence hall, homesickness hit me hard.
My sophomore year changed me. I took 20 units, was an RA (Resident Advisor) and worked 30 hours a week at Starbucks. I slacked in school because I could not find time to do my homework, do residence rounds and make lattés. In the end, I learned how much is too much and that sometimes, you just need a break.
My junior year, I moved to nearby Pacific Grove, continued working at Starbucks, found The Otter Realm and settled into my niche. I learned how to balance work and school, and got my life under control.
This final semester, the only semester of my senior year, has been laden with work, I assume it has been for all of you as well. I will say that my hard work during previous semesters paid off, leaving me with only my Capstone class and my last MLO (Major Learning Outcome) class to complete.
As my time at CSUMB comes to an end, I can’t help but think back through my educational experiences without a poem coming to mind. One my Kindergarten teacher read to us on the last day of school, called, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” by Robert Fulghum.
As I prepare to graduate, I feel inclined to rename it, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned at CSUMB.”
“Share everything. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hand before you eat. Flush.”
Each different concept outlined by Fulghum can be applied to our lives, both during college and after we commence. The author challenges the reader to “think what a better world it would be if all—the whole world—had cookies and milk every after noon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.”
With that in mind, I want to thank CSUMB for all of the doors opened, closed and even those slammed in my face. I will take with me four years of experiences, memories and lessons learned as I enjoy my cookies and milk after graduation, and then lie down with my blankie for a well-earned nap before I travel the world this coming year.
Comments: