Two years together

In the fall of 2020, I came to Union College. We wore masks and had our temperatures tested daily. If we passed, we wore stickers to show we were “safe.” I didn’t catch Covid-19 here. I caught it working in a nursing home over break. Twice. But I never caught it here at Union.

Until now. Four years of good fortune led to the week before graduation at a game night in a faculty’s home. One week before finals, just four years after lockdown, Covid-19 swept our campus again and took me down. If you don’t know someone who got it, it’s because a lot of people aren’t testing. Especially this close to finals, it’s a risky choice. But we’re not here to question the morals of that choice.

I have joyfully served Annika and the Clocktower for three years now, one as a writer and two as assistant editor. It had ups and downs. We’ve made great memes out of editing errors. My favorite has been when a person wrote “bachelorette of nursing.” For their safety, I will not name them.

As we enter our new chapters, we hand off the Clocktower to the next team. My wise advice as a graduating senior of just 22 is this:

Surround yourself with people that you aspire to be like, people that have qualities that you admire. When I need to set boundaries, I channel my inner Annika. When I need to go out of my comfort zone, I do what I think Aubrey and Lyndsey would do. When I need to take charge, I imitate Elizabeth. For empathy, I connect with people like Rachel does, and when my friends need cheering up, I pull energy to match Tallya.

I am made up of the friends that I have chosen, and I had a great experience here at Union. Your time here is limited, and you can choose friendships that will end when you leave or friendships that will last a lifetime.

Congratulations if you’re graduating, congratulations if you made it to the summer and congratulations on becoming who you are today! Keep it up, because you’re doing great.

And if you’re not doing great, then do better. You deserve it.

By Annelise Jacobs