.png)
It is strange to say that in three months I will graduate from the University of Louisville.
In the words of Billy Joel, it's not long before “I'm Movin’ Out”. I’m sure my fellow classmates
(both in and outside of the program) agree that it doesn’t quite feel real to us yet. We’re still
worrying about midterms, finding jobs, putting together what we’re going to wear to graduation
and senior dinner, but we are all quickly running out of things to worry about as college students.
Every day, more questions get answered and we draw closer to the end of our time at UofL. My
last blog focused on some of the lessons that I thought any new student should know before
coming into college, but I want to focus this blog more on lessons about moving on from places
like UofL and the McConnell Center. For me, it was not hard to move on from high school, and I
expect many students entering college feel the same way. Frankly, I feel the same about college
but for a much different reason. By the end of high school, I knew I was ready to be done with
that style of education and the environment generally. As for college, I am excited to move on. I
will miss many things about the University of Louisville and the McConnell Center, but I know
that their influence on me (both as a student and a person) has prepared me to pursue many
wonderful things as I exit their halls. Like my last blog, I have included many quotes that have
stuck with me throughout my college career to focus my final retrospective as a McConnell
Scholar.
“In listening, you learn everything.”-Dr. John Kleber
I certainly wish I had listened more during some parts of my collegiate career, especially
when other people were giving me advice about moving on. I know that many people have
shared their opinions about that topic with me, but I always thought “That’s so far away, why
worry about it now?” Well…here it is. But I am not worried. The McConnell Center teaches
students to not only think, speak, and write, but how to listen. Listening is essential to every
activity we do as humans. By listening, truly listening, we prepare ourselves for transitions every
day. Whether it be leaving college, a job, or something less life altering, by listening to other
people we begin to understand how others approach situations and big moments in life. In
listening to people like John Kleber (who has seemingly done everything at this point), we learn
perspective and apply it to ourselves. Life does not end after college. Often, life gets more
interesting and more impactful to our friends, families, communities, and to ourselves. So, listen
as much as you can stand it because it will always teach you about something that may impact
you later in your life, even something as simple as perspective.
“As long as there are memories, yesterday remains. As long as there is hope, tomorrow awaits.
As long as there is friendship, today is beautiful.”-Billy Joel
Moving forward can be very scary, and in most cases it should be. I count myself very
lucky to participate in things that I have become attached to, and I am happy that it requires
effort to leave. But the reason I am not scared is because I will carry forward the memories of my
time at UofL and the McConnell Center. I don’t have anything I am giving up, I simply get to
carry forward the wonderful lessons I have learned and share them with others. I will always
have “yesterday” because I will remember it fondly, but the best part is I get to bring it with me
into “tomorrow”. I will get to remember the friends I have made, staying up all night at retreats
and on trips talking about music, literature, philosophy, and everything else that has impacted the
person I am and the way I think. I am also very hopeful for the future, and it makes leaving
easier. No matter what happens, I know that the next stage of my life will be interesting,
entertaining, and a completely new adventure. But the most important thing is that my hope in
my future and the memories I have made will help me make new friends and keep me in contact
with old ones. Moving on is scary, but if you are surrounded by people you care about (at the
McConnell Center, UofL, or otherwise) things are pretty wonderful and you are pretty lucky.
“I bought a cheap watch from the crazy man/ Floating down Canal/ It doesn't use numbers or
moving hands/ It always just says "Now"/ Now you may be thinking that I was had/ But this
watch is never wrong/ And if I have trouble the warranty said/ "Breathe in, breathe out, move
on.”-Jimmy Buffett
It’s the last time you’ll read my writing on Jimmy Buffett, so I figured I should include a
longer quote from his song “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On”. Like I alluded to in my
discussion of Billy Joel’s quote, the present is something we don’t really think about as we are in
transitional periods of our lives. Even in my introduction, I discuss how I am thinking more
about graduation than what I am doing right now. The message of this Jimmy Buffett song is that
life often brings strange and unexpected moments, and many seem meaningless sometimes. In
my life, I have caught myself thinking, “Why go out tonight, you have something more
important to do and there'll be other times to go out”. But I am running out of time to put things
off. I have tried to be more intentional in my activities and my relationships because soon I won’t
be able to tell people “Not tonight, I have a paper” or “I’m too tired”. I actually ended up buying
myself the watch described above, (partially as a dumb joke and) because I believe it. We are
obsessed with dates and times. Calendars are filled by the first day of our semester, time is
carved out and divvied up, and we run ourselves ragged thinking only about what comes next.
But, in looking at this watch, I remember that time does not need me to worry about how quickly
it is coming. It will always be moving, which means I can stand still and enjoy things around me.
No matter where I end up after graduation, if I have myself and those I care about, there is
nothing to worry about in the future because I will focus on “now”. That’s all we can do.
I also wanted to spend a small section thanking everyone at the McConnell Center, the
University of Louisville, my friends and fellow scholars, my family, and everyone else who has
impacted my time at the University of Louisville. I am so thankful these people have fostered my
academic interests, invested in me, and placed a lot of faith in my abilities. It is more than I
deserve, and I hope everyone else can find groups as supportive as I have in my personal and
academic life. I hope that, if anyone reads this and any of my other blogs, you’ll take the time to
sit and enjoy yourself. As for me, I’ll be having a drink, listening to Jimmy Buffett and many
others, and I’ll be enjoying where I am before I can only remember it fondly.
“It's been a pleasure and a hell of an evening…” (Jimmy Buffett “African Friend”)
William VonHandorf is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2025. He is studying political science.