Waking up to blaring alarms at 8 a.m. never seemed like something I would be excited about. The day finally came: my last first day in the undergrad program.

Driving around the parking lot for 40 minutes trying to find a parking post made me realize I may not miss college that much. But I will miss seeing familiar faces daily, the welcoming environment of diversity, and the passion for knowledge in my classes.

Thinking about today being my last firsts of many things is something I should be most excited for because it is the end of the beginning, isn’t it? Truth is, I am scared out of my mind.

What I am most scared about is not finding my place outside of CSUSB, but it is where will I go next. Right now I have my sorority, support system, and education at the palm of my hands.

It may be the last first time I enter campus and learn for the sake of gaining knowledge. The real world is a scary place and to think that this may all end soon makes me nervous.

I told my friend Katie Anderson I am most afraid to start over again. I remember the very moment when I started college as a freshman and said I couldn’t wait to graduate college, make money, and have a successful career for my mother.

Now, I just want a little more time. I want to linger a little longer.

We start off our COMM 347 class with the activity that we all anticipate, the “what’s your name, major, and something unique about yourself” introductions. It’s kind of funny because I realize I won’t ever need to do this again, and as much as I hate it, I will miss it.

In that moment I realized that time is flying by and it’s never wasted because before I know it, I will wish I could just sit down and get to know my peers a little better.

People always think that something is so far away or that we have time, but, in reality, we don’t. Life happens and we never realize how fast things really come.

Here I am, a senior in college, my very last first day as an undergrad and all I could think about is how I didn’t want the day to end. Every last bit of the day I was soaking in. Even if it did take me 40 minutes to find a parking space and I made it to class halfway through my lecture.

Because every moment only happens once, you live in that moment and then it passes you by but, what you do get to cherish is experiences and the memories made.

“I would give anything to go back and relive my college experience. College gave me a sense of who I am and sometimes you forget that along the way,” my best friend Silvia Ortiz, recent graduate student told me.

As I walked out of the Student Union, I stood there for a second and just looked around campus and I couldn’t be more proud to be a Coyote. CSUSB has given me so much that I didn’t know I needed. Going to school is one thing, but being a part of the school community is another. And I think it has become a home.

It is my last first day of many. And I am glad I can call CSUSB my home.