Today was the big day. This morning me and many of my friends graduated from K-state. If I had to sum up how I feel right now I’d have to say light. I’ve felt so heavy with obligations and deadlines for the longest time that now that all that is gone (sorta) I actually feel lighter. What the hell am I going to do with myself!? I had a hell of a time modifying my website… I couldn’t decide how I wanted to describe myself. What am I now that I’m not formally a student? It’s interesting in and of itself that when asked to describe or introduce ourselves we always begin with our name followed by “and I am” (usually a noun). This is sort of misleading since we are multiple things at once, and these things are never constant. At that moment when we are saying “I am a student,” we are saying what we think is appropriate and important for that context, leaving out all the other roles we play that aren’t necessarily relevant. Obviously, I’m not making an argument here. I know it is more efficient from a cognitive standpoint to summarize yourself into an easy-to-comprehend package so others can frame you in a particular way in order to understand “you.” But which role do I hold to be the most important? That was the tough question. The environment around me no longer defines who I am (campus, K-State, class, my professors, etc). As you can see, I decided to stick with “student.” I think I’ll always stick with that. At the moment it works since I’m planning to continue my education in the near future, but besides being a formal student, I think I am a Student (as we all are) in that I enjoy studying pretty much anything as well as learning from others and the world around me.

So, here’s to always being a Student. :-)