I went to the MSU Union for the first time last week.

It was an otherwise uneventful Tuesday. I went for a run, grabbed a coffee and went to class before my friends invited me to study with them that afternoon.

As I walked down Grand River Avenue to meet them, passing Student Services and then Berkey on my way to the Union, a pit in my stomach started to grow, weighing me down with each step.

That was when it hit me: In four years, I had never thought to come here.

I’ve been thinking about this goodbye for a long time. 

The last four years have been some of the most meaningful and transformative of my life, filled with late-night study sessions, inside jokes with new friends, lessons in campus parking and so much growth along the way.

But through it all, a shadow lingered, even in the brightest moments.

When I arrived at Michigan State as a bright-eyed freshman in fall 2022, moving into my room at Snyder Hall felt like a new beginning. 

Opportunities waited around every corner, and each day brought a new challenge that invited me to step outside my comfort zone.

Everything felt unfamiliar in the way it’s supposed to be. I quickly found a second home.