Protension: the online journal of Tom Elgin

When new students arrive at Pomona in the fall, they always sit through the requisite slideshows and welcome speeches. They are told these will be the most exciting years of their lives. They are told to make the most of it. They are assured that everyone else is as nervous as they are.

Every year it looks like fewer of my loved ones will be living in Claremont, but then I meet more amazing people. OA the last two years was great because I knew most of the leaders and they were some of the coolest kids in the world. Somehow it seems like I’m still friends with most of them, even if some were in junior high when I came to Pomona. There’s nowhere I’d rather get up at 8am to teach leadership techniques, explain all of the 50 items in a first aid kit to 90 different people, go over the medical history of all 387 incoming students, and then get back to the office at 9pm to write computer code for four and a half hours. I’ve put off leaving for a year and a half, and there’s still too many people here I’ll miss. But I think I’ve done well at making the most of it, and it’s time for a change of venue.

I’ve listened, laughed, and cheered through five convocations and three graduations, and for the first time one of them actually means I’m moving on. Few people have ever had the freedom and opportunity I have now. I think these will be the most exciting years of my life. I will make the most of them. And I’m willing to bet everyone else is still as nervous as I am.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 20th, 2006 at 8:33 PM and is filed under Personal, Plans, School, Thoughts, Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.