Dear GW,

Looks like you and I are parting ways in a few weeks. I know we’ve had our ups and downs these past three-and-a-half years, but please don’t think I’m leaving you on a bad note. It’s just that my time with you is done (slightly earlier than most), and you and I both know I need to move on.

Remember when I thought about leaving you for good my freshman year? The excitement from CI had worn off and that something I thought would happen here wasn’t happening. I was confused and didn’t know what I wanted. Despite my moaning and groaning, I’m glad I stuck it out with you. I realized that without you, I don’t know if I would have had these amazing experiences:

Successfully completed four internships. Got a press pass to the White House. Became a feminist, let alone a women’s studies major. Met that boy who lived down the hall from me in Thurston. Fell in love with him. Celebrated a three-year anniversary with him. Made some great friends. Completed numerous power hours. Edward Fortyhands. Danced my ass off. Too many hangovers. Didn’t get EMeRGed. Almost failed a class. Got on the Dean’s List. Wrote for The Hatchet. Prayed and prayed. Phillies won the World Series. Voted in my first election. Stormed the White House on November 4, 2008. Made change. Witnessed history. Asked questions. Philosophized. Learned my rights. Studied abroad… in New York. Twenty-one! Spring break in Paris. Senior year. Stress. Job applications. Last week of classes – ever. Job interviews. Uncertainty. Hope.

They say our millennial generation is entitled and overly confident without having paid our dues. True, there are some who fit this stereotype, some with whom I’ve even shared a class or two, but don’t let my classmates buy into it! We grew up believing our education should serve us, but don’t let us lose sight of the fact that our experience with you, GW, is a privilege. We are the generation that knows what we want. We believe in ourselves. We strive to do our best. And we expect to get what we deserve. Once I realized the value of education, I made the most of my situation and took full advantage of the opportunities that were given to me.

And here we are, at that ambivalent intersection of uncertainty and hope. Uncertain about just what happens next once my identity is no longer defined by “student” and I leave the comfort zone of Foggy Bottom. Hopeful that what I learned while I was with you will help me get a job that makes me happy.

If I didn’t say it enough while I knew you – thank you. I’m a smarter, stronger, more confident, better version of myself because of you, and for that, I’m grateful.

So farewell, GW, ol’ pal. I wish you the best, thanks for the memories, and I’ll see ya around.

Yours truly,

Juliette Marianne Elizabeth Dallas-Feeney

The writer, a senior majoring in women’s studies, is a Hatchet columnist.