Senior year is a time filled with joy, excitement and anticipation.
Senior year also comes with an extreme amount of pressure. Seniors are all too familiar with questions about next steps and what they’re doing after graduation. I have fallen victim to these questions, and the feeling of impending doom when I do not have the answers yet.
However, when I start to feel overwhelmed about my future and what it holds, I remind myself of the Billy Joel song “Vienna.”
“Slow down, you’re doing fine,” Joel sings. “You can’t be everything you wanna be before your time.”
In today’s world, there’s a societal standard to have everything figured out — where you are going to live, work and spend your time for the next five to 10 years. But as Joel sings, do not get too far ahead of yourself. It’s OK to dream big, but it’s also OK if life steers you in a different direction than originally planned.
This semester, I felt pressure to have my post-grad plans set in stone. But, I remind myself that everything will fall in place as God intends it to.
Finding small moments to slow down and enjoy the time I have left at my dream school has kept me at peace. Whether it’s a debrief session with my friends over dinner in the Caf, a late-night milkshake run or a solo beach day with a book and snacks, I remind myself that those small moments are the ones that become the most memorable, so why rush past them?
I have created some of the most beautiful friendships throughout my four years here. Each one of the friends I have made has taught me something that I desperately needed at that point in my life. I would not have found these friendships if I had not taken a moment to slow down and allow life to happen.
Every once in a while, I take a pause from the hustle and bustle, look out at the ocean from the CCB and think, “Wow, this has been my home for four years.” I slow down, take in the moment and suddenly everything feels fine.
When I moved to Pepperdine in 2021, graduation felt so far away. As a first-generation student, I felt lost and unsure of what college would be like. I was scared I would not be able to withstand the four years.
Now a month out from graduation, I can say that 18-year-old me would be so proud of everything I have accomplished and overcame. Everything, however, came when it was meant to.
As graduation approaches, let the green sprouts on the hillsides that watched us flourish remind us that growth is possible, even in the most difficult times. Just as it is taking time for life to return to our beautiful mountains, it will take time to become the best version of ourselves.
So, as Joel tells us, “Slow down you crazy child, you’re so ambitious for a juvenile.”
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Contact Gabrielle Salgado via email: gabrielle.salgado@pepperdine.edu
