I believe that the people we need to meet are the people we have, and in my four years here, it’s been the people who have come and gone that have made these silent grounds home. When we came here, Princeton seemed like a labyrinth of knowledge, full of opportunities but still aloof and impersonal. However, it eventually proved itself to be the complete opposite. My Princeton experience has certainly been shaped by classes and the incredible amount of knowledge made available to me, but it’s been equally made into something unique by the cast of characters that have traveled through it with me.
It seems like the general fear of leaving comes from the fact that it feels like graduating is becoming untethered from the anchor that is Princeton. Our friends scatter about the country and the world, with bills to worry about and meals not served in buffet style — but we should remember that the things that we long the most to keep are not permanently built into this campus. These austere buildings and flowering trees are just the backdrop of one’s Princeton experience, and memories and friendships won’t be locked inside the gates once we leave.
To the many people who have made “my Princeton,” from a motley group of freshmen who built a house, earned street cred in East Trenton and mastered a bunch (or should I say, a smorgasbord) of Catch Phrase topics; to those roommates and hallmates to talk to into the early morning, have 11:59 p.m. WebAssign adventures and eat Cracklin’ Oat Bran with in the Blair Hall basement; to a group of freshmen in a seminar on food that ate cookies with a wonderful professor, sharing questions, musings and stomach rumblings for three hours a week; to a group of Christians on a safari in Vermont, the maker of some of the best cherry chocolate pie this side of paradise, fellowship and repeated settling of Catan; to administrative assistants who are the glue that holds a department together and are quick to give encouragement, tissues and cookies; to people that fire rocket balloons in our personal courtyard; to a friend with whom to traipse around the only remaining grand duchy, create mysterious sewing creations and keep Panera in business; to a roommate-turned-pen pal; to the friendliest custodian to bring light to the bleak and angular Friend Center; to The Daily Princetonian for giving me a chance to stand behind my thoughts and express my voice; to technicians who will mill, lathe and bandsaw the day away for their students; to strangers that sit with me at meals; to companions on a long drive complete with missed exits and a confused GPS; to people I’ve spent hours in the darkroom with, and to women (and one man) who helped me learn to have empathy for my fellow students and promote health in mind and body; to roommates whose hellos in the hall turned into conversations only stopped by, “Guys, it’s 3 a.m.”; to a Bible course full of friends and a loving leader to help me grow in my faith; and to professors whose doors were always open and advisers who encouraged and guided. For all of you I’m very grateful.
For much of my time here, I felt like I wasn’t doing a very good job of making new friends, but in hindsight, I see that all along I’ve picked up people to laugh with, pray with and talk to. It’s cliche to say, but the end of this year really is bittersweet. As much as I truly want to grab my diploma and bust out of this joint with problem sets in my rear-view mirror, I’m acutely aware of how irreplaceable everyone is, from the most passing stranger to the best of friends. I’ve always found meeting new people challenging, but I think it’s good for all of us — whether we’re starting Princeton or finishing — to remember that the strangers, acquaintances and friends we find here are what give life to this pile of bricks and ivy in the middle of New Jersey. To all the people mentioned, and any others I forgot, I’ll quote a professor I recently met over dinner: “It was very nice to meet you. Maybe I’ll see you again, but if not, have a nice life.”
Sophia LeMaire is a mechanical engineering major from Longmeadow, Mass. She can be reached at slemaire@princeton.edu.
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