An Open Letter to CUA by a member of the Class of 2017

When I was young, I collected snowglobes. My father used to call them “miniature worlds in glass.” I thought this was fascinating. What is even more astounding is how you, CUA, are a perfect little snowglobe; I could not have asked or prayed for anything more. Through good times and bad, through laughter and tears, and through times when there were tears from the laughter, you have seen it all. These years have been the best- and quickest- years yet; I’m not quite sure if anxiety is the best word to put my thoughts about impending graduation; it is more like devastation mixed with unending appreciation.

I could say that I am looking forward to no more studying carboxylic acids and their accompanying functional groups; I could say that I am so very done with throwing my laundry in broken washers and dryers which are hard to acquire even in the earliest hours of the morning; I could say that I am ecstatic to never eat another Pryz mystery meat again, or walk begrudgingly up the hill to O’Boyle for those late night, three hour classes. I could say all of these things, think about all of all the negatives; but the positives are just too hard to miss.

The truth is that O’Boyle became a second home over these years- shout out to those Education and Psychology majors! The truth is that the Pryz and Starbucks staff became a part of my life, making me tea when I lost my voice from the flu and cooking me bearable food on the grill, almost as if there was a secret menu. The truth is that the days when doing laundry was easy were the best days of the week, as I thought that Jesus was on my side at that very moment, not just hanging on the wall of every room on this campus.

The truth is that at times I feel as though CUA is truly like a snow globe: we have this perfect world all around us, with trees that blossom with the season and scenery that is to die for. The truth is that living in the dynamic city of Washington, D.C. with its many restaurants and free entertainment at our fingertips, has been a dream, but coming back home to this snow globe has made it even more worthwhile. The truth is that when CUA begins to feel so small, and the entire world feels as if it can come crashing down, there are those people, that beautiful community that we always heard about during Orientation, that finds their way into our hearts and lifts us back on our feet.

Any university is made up of a group of buildings, all with an intentional purpose of establishing some kind of order. At CUA, some of these buildings are filled with sleep deprived architecture students completing an assignment for review; others are filled with athletes, practicing for their next championship or conference; others are filled with professional staff, pastoral staff, and professors working on assignments or lectures which will mold the way we think; and even others are filled with joyful friends drinking coffee after a long day of being molded. All of these buildings have one idea in common: they are filled with people. Those people make up the community who can either make or break a college experience. This community is that special facet of CUA; this is what I will miss the most about our perfect little snow globe. Thank you CUA; you are the best kept secret, the most perfect snow globe, and my greatest gift from God.