BY ALEX STRACHANONLINE CONTRIBUTOR

To top it off, you’re trying to balance saying goodbye to the place you call home and the friends you call family. There’s a lot of “lasts” in store for a lot of us; last exam, last paper, last time you’ll live 5 minutes away from all your best friends, last time you’ll be in a city where everyone around you is equally as lost as you are. Heck, this is even my last article I’m writing for MUSE. It’s been quite a time.All of these things have been truly getting me down. Once week 10 hit it was full nostalgia every time I walked to campus. “Oh, my goodness do you remember that time we walked in that place on campus? Wow what a good memory”. Anything that has remotely reminded me of my time at Queen’s has made me sad and worried for my time after Queen’s. That being said, there are a lot of firsts in store for many of us, too. I look to my best friend, who didn’t go to Queen’s, but still felt many of the things we’re feeling now. She’s 22 now, graduated last year from Paramedics at Flemming. She was employed shortly after, in a field she set out to work in. She got a puppy, and a brand-new car. Please see photos her puppy because that will make your day better. Anyway, she’s setting goals and meeting them.By no means do I think that that’s what I’ll be doing, or what most of you will be doing because we all have our own different wild life path ready for us. But she’s truly been a great inspiration and someone I’ve admired in her post-grad life. She’s handled it with ease, and truly realized that a lot of what’s meant to happen, will truly happen. She made me realize that your post-grad life is what you make it, and I know we won’t always all get the job of our dreams but that doesn’t mean we should stop looking. Or let the lack of pressure from school or superiors not push us to go after what we want. The pressure of graduating in less than a month is incredibly scary, for sure. But what I’ve learned in these last couple weeks and overall four years, is to value the time we have and allow others to inspire us. My best friend (by the way @MelaniePorretta to see more pics of her dog) has inspired me to go get what I want after graduation, and not be saddened by the ending of something great (Queen’s) but excited for what the future has.School won’t be pressuring us anymore so we should realize our twenties, with all this new responsibility is something to look forward to. Queen’s will probably be the best four years to look back on and tell stories, I mean if you’ve learned as much as me and had as much fun as me (trust me I have fun). But there’s a great big world out there as I’m sure we all know and it’s time to let our passions guide us, instead of due dates and late penalties.It’s an incredibly sad, happy, and exciting time, graduating. I’m looking to Mel to guide me into my post-grad life. She’s got a puppy, what more could you ask for, like seriously. But mostly, she’s been in the real world since 21 in her field and letting life inspire her and excite her. We can’t let unemployment, or “the good old days” get us down.Thanks Queen’s for the best four years, and let me look back on you with a humbling smile and no regret. And hopefully we’ll all get our own version of a job and a dog.