Thursday, May 6, 2010
Xavier Henry, former guard, and I don’t have a whole lot in common. Height difference and athletic ability aside, I doubt our experiences here at the University have much overlap.
But I was struck by something he said to me during an interview earlier in the semester. “That’s what college is about,” he said. “It’s where you work your hardest to see what you’re gonna become. This is what makes you.”
Rereading it now, I realize that maybe Xavier and I do have something in common after all: After finals end, we won’t be coming back to the University. At least not for now. He, of course, will make a run at a professional career in the NBA while I make my walk through the campanile and down the hill.
Our career goals are as different as our time spent at the University, but what we have in common is a shared experience — the experience of pushing ourselves, just like the other 6,000 students who will graduate next weekend, to see what we’re going to become. To see what we can make of ourselves.
As graduation approaches, I know I’m not alone in occasionally succumbing to sentimentality. My time at the University has not always been great. In fact, some of it has been hell. But I would be lying if I said I’m the same person leaving that I was coming in. I would be lying if I said I haven’t been shaped for the better by the four years I’ve spent on this campus. My college experience has helped make me who I am today.
I have been made by the steam whistle at 9:50 a.m. and the bell tower at noon. I have been made by late night homework, early walks through campus and endless coffee. I have been made by national championships won and lost, deadlines met and missed, friends come and gone. I have been made by professors-turned-mentors and roommates-turned-family. I have been made by hard work, perseverance and a constant helping hand.
Xavier and I, we’re going different places. But we’ve had a good run here.
As a senior, this will be my first and last edition of the Morning Brew, but it’s been real. See you on the Hill.
— Edited by Allyson Shaw
Self's first one and done
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C.J. Henry steps from brother’s shadow
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Henry scored 15 points, shooting 6-of-13 with five rebounds against the Longhornds.
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A five-minute guide to the top college recruits.
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Organization’s refusal to use instant replay is causing an uproar in Ireland.
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Notorious for digging a hole early, the Jayhawks want to change that ...
Goble: Final thoughts from this graduating senior
Corban Goble shares his thoughts with the University.
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The University Dance Company showcased the result of three months of dance ...
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Rim Rock creates a bond among runners
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Vosburgh: Xavier Henry needs to step up
Team leaders propel Kansas to victory despite freshman forward's poor performance.
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