Shayna Ortiz, Staff

In just three months and 19 days, this will all be over. I will delete Canvas, break up with Google Drive and immerse myself in a whole new life. I will take my final steps as an undergraduate student and my first steps as a college graduate. In just 15 weeks, I will say goodbye to the university that has consumed the last four years of my life. While I am grateful and excited to complete this story, I am filled with emotion. As the date gets closer, the nights get longer, and my brain begins to work the hardest it has ever worked. I am overwhelmed with questions — what will come next? What friendships will last? What city I will move to, and where I will be in June of 2021? I am sure that I speak for most seniors when I say that senior year is not just about completing this journey but accepting this experience with every mistake and every reward and allowing myself to enjoy this moment.

But, as the days get closer and the reality of life after college becomes much more evident, I see myself starting to crumble. Imposter syndrome, an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be, was never something I imagined myself going through. As the reality of graduating during a pandemic becomes less surreal and much more of a reality, it is hard to imagine yourself outside of your comfort zone. Mine happens to be on Olney Avenue, where my biggest concern of the day is if Pauline’s is still open. As I began this semester, I started to see that I was not alone in this anxiety; I was one of many seniors developing imposter syndrome and felt as if they were not ready to take on the adult world. Regardless of your education or institution, as the job market and grad school deadlines become days away, it is impossible not to second guess yourself.

While I cannot speak for the majority of the senior class, I can speak for myself, and hopefully others relate when I say undergrad is not going to be the peak of our time in this world. It is simply a necessary stepping-stone to conquer the adult world. My time at La Salle has not only prepared me for the post-undergraduate experience but has made me capable of seeing who I can become. If you are anything like me, questioning if you should or should not apply to that program or that school, or if you should apply to that job across the country, I say go for it because while having senior anxiety is discouraging, we are well-equipped for our time after La Salle.

ortizs8@lasalle.edu