Four Great Years

Tomorrow will be two weeks since I graduated from college. During these past couple of weeks, I have had a lot of time to sit back and think about my four years of college. All the ups and all the downs, all of the great friends that I made, and all of the memories that I will have with me forever.

When I was preparing to leave to go to college almost four years ago, everyone kept telling me the same thing: "College is the best years of your life, treasure every moment of it." And boy were they right. From pulling all-nighters due to excessive procrastination, to getting loose on weekends with friends, there are some things that I will certainly miss about college.

Nothing compares to living on a college campus. It is a social environment that cannot be matched. For me personally, by my senior year I had about three close groups of friends. Each one of them was great in their own way and I always knew that I could hang out with them whenever. That friendly, welcoming spirit was one of the great things about Catholic University. And I can say with absolute certainty that I think the relationships I made with people will be what I miss most. I'm a social guy. I like being around people, I like hanging out, socializing, getting loose with buddies, and just enjoying a good laugh.

One of the greatest and most heartfelt speeches ever given was Jim Valvano's ESPY speech back in 1993. In that speech he said that you should know where you came from, where you are now, and where you're going in life. I can safely say that I am in a good place right now and I am prepared for my future and have goals in place, and it is all because of where I came from. From growing up and being raised by great parents, to spending four wonderful years with great people in a fantastic university community. To those people at Catholic University and to all of my CUA friends, thank you. You will all hold a special place when it comes time again in the future to look back and remember where I came from.

A Night I Will Never Forget

I was in my Silver Spring apartment last night watching the Phillies take on the Mets in ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. In the late innings, play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman announced that ABC News was reporting that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Immediately, I switched over to CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC to see what reports were coming in. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Twitter and Facebook were blowing up with statuses and tweets of the news and everyone's jubilation and excitement over the news. I watched the point in the game when fans around the stadium began chanting "USA! USA! USA!" Those were some of the most intense goosebumps I had ever felt.

I saw that my friends were partying on campus and decided that I had to go be with everyone. I tried to get the DC Metro but it was closed. I found a few people I knew from school who were in Silver Spring at the time and we decided to hop a cab and go where everyone else was going: the White House. I got out of the cab on 16th St. about three blocks north of the White House and just ran to be in the crowds. I found my friends and dozens of other people from school who had made the journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The scene at the White House last night was one I will never forget. People were climbing light poles, waving American flags, sitting on each other's shoulders and cheering. I can't tell you how many times I sang God Bless America, The Star Spangled Banner, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, or chanted USA! USA! USA!. I pretty much lost my voice. But it was worth it to celebrate the triumph of the United States in finally killing someone who was responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in America and throughout the world. Eventually the Secret Service broke up the crowd a little bit because some idiot thought it was a good idea to jump the White House fence. But other than that one incident, the impromptu rally was peaceful and everyone was just so overcome with joy and happiness. For some, I'm sure the moment was a bittersweet too.

Last night was yet another example of how great America is. Our military is the best in the world, our leaders are vigilant, and the American people are the best. Every day I am proud to be an American, and live in country where I know that I am free. But last night brought my American spirit to a whole new level, just being in that crowd. I will forever remember the night of May 1st and the early morning hours of May 2, 2011. I will remember singing, cheering, and relishing a tremendous moment. But most of all, I will remember being with close friends and celebrating what it means to live in this great country.