Wednesday, January 16, 2019 // The Statement 
7B
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 // The Statement 
7B

A love letter to “U”

I 

decided to go to the University 
of Michigan without ever hav-
ing stepped foot on this campus. I 
had a really good feeling about it, and for 
some reason, my gut knew. I loved what 
people had to say about U-M grads — that 
they are wicked smart and successful, but 
also extremely friendly, kind and humble. 
From the beginning, I was sure it was 
something I wanted to be a part of.
I saw this campus for the first time when 
I arrived for orientation. I knew so little 
about the University that I asked someone 
where the center of campus was, and for a 
while, I thought it was the engineering arch 
by the South University Espresso Royale. I 
arrived here by myself, without knowing a 
single soul, and ready to start my new life.
Sometimes, I think the reason why I 
especially loved college was because I was 
ready to leave high school and my booger-
sized, suffocating suburban town in New 
Jersey. It was the kind of bubble where 
every generation came back and did exact-
ly what their parents did. I was tired of 
nonsensical drama and of not growing as a 
person. College, to me, wasn’t just a place 
to get a degree. It was my chance to finally 
become the person I wanted to be but had 
hidden in constant fear of being judged. It 
was the promised land where I could start 
new, make friends and learn, learn, learn.
My first semester, I was having so 
much fun meeting people and getting to 
know my new home that my mom texted 
me two months in, asking if I was alive. 
I had completely absorbed into my new 
life of classes, friends and tailgates. Now 
as a graduating senior, I think back on 
how every day, even with the difficult and 

stressful ones, has been so exciting. As I 
write this, with 27 days left, I still wake up 
every single morning in disbelief that I get 
to be a student here.
It honestly makes me angry, after all 
the waiting I did to get to college, that this 
experience is already coming to an end. 
A lot of my friends at other colleges say 
they’re ready to graduate, but I am heart-
broken at the thought of ever having to 
leave. I want more time here. I want to go 
to Charley’s trivia a couple more nights 
and attend one more basketball game. I 
want to have one more movie night over 
feta bread and one more long run as the 
leaves around the Diag start to change col-
ors in the fall. I’ll even take another exam 
to stay here for a minute longer.
It’s been pretty terrifying and miser-
able to watch the days go by during my 
senior year. Friends that I chose to be my 
family for the past four years are signing 
leases and confirming start dates for their 
jobs all across the world. I won’t be able to 
simply call them up for lunch or see them 
every single day in class. We won’t be see-
ing Main Street at sunset or deliriously 
giggling in the UGLi at 3 a.m. I try to con-
stantly remind myself that it’s a good thing 
I’m devastated about graduating. It means 
I really built something special here.
So other than this being a tale of woe, 
this is my thank you to all the people who 
have made these past four years the most 
special and happiest of my life.
Each and every one of you has filled me 
with more love and support than I could’ve 
ever imagined or thought I deserved. I 
cannot wait to see where you will all go, 
because I know you’re going to be doing 

impactful, thought-
ful and incredible 
things. You are all 
more 
than 
just 
another person on 
this planet. You’re 
going to be leaders 
and mentors (and 
the best!). I learned 
what it truly means 
to have a commu-
nity when I came 
to college because 
of your words of 
encouragement 
and thirst for life. 
I have cherished 
our times together, 
whether it’s a messy 
night at Rick’s or 
a chat on our walk 
to class. You didn’t 
just accept me for 
my 
eccentricities, 
but also encour-
aged them to shine. 
Thank you for being the best dance part-
ners and for always making me laugh.
Your admiration of intelligence and 
creativity has inspired me to always work 
hard. We have all excelled in our own 
rights and prioritized our responsibilities 
as students, while always putting rela-
tionships first and balancing the perfect 
amount of work and fun. You have taught 
me to grind through the long hours, think 
beyond textbook material and be diligent. 
You have instilled in me ambition without 
the need to bring others down, but instead 
to value others as part of the team, the 
team, the team. Thank you for believing 
that being smart is cool, being different is 
even cooler and being kind is a necessity.
Most importantly, you have been there 
for me in my lowest points — when I was 
stressed about career choices, grades 
or life in general. You reminded me that 
everything was going to be OK, and time 
and time again it always is. We experi-
enced each other’s worst moments and 
helped each other through our mistakes. 
You were my coach, and motivated me 
through the toughest of times out of pure 
love.
Thank you for never giving up on me 
whenever I gave up on myself.
Because of all of you, I learned for the 
first time to enjoy life as it comes. I have 
become a better family member, colleague, 
stranger, friend and human being overall 
by learning from you. The compassion you 
have shown has filled me with an energy 
to only do good things in the world. I hope 
you know that even if we don’t touch base 
often, I am forever appreciative of you. The 
love you have given me has made me love 

myself, the person I’ve become in college 
and who I will grow to be in the future.
I think that’s what makes this place so 
special. It reminds me of a conversation I 
had with friends at the end of sophomore 
year about how extraordinary this place is. 
On this particular day, we had been sitting 
on the steps of the University of Michigan 
Museum of Art, enjoying a rare warm day 
with what felt like the entire population of 
Ann Arbor. Some students were playing 
frisbee outside, others were running late 
to their next class. The commotion of stu-
dent life happening all around us, through 
the stunning campus buildings and quaint 
State Street stores, created an unparal-
leled energy. We reflected on moments like 
this where we look around campus and 
think how lucky we are to attend the great-
est university in the world.
Now, as I’m at the home stretch, I see 
that it’s the people, and our belief that 
the success of another student on campus 
is a shared success, that make this place 
extraordinary. I mean, my friends cared 
so much that they would wake up early just 
to call and make sure I got up for morning 
exams. We’re bonded by this culture and 
experience that is like no other. This place 
is straight magic.
Michigan, you are my first and greatest 
love. Thank you for giving me the chance 
to meet these friends who have forever 
changed me.
This University is a classic Midwest-
ern school and is known for being amaz-
ing at sports, but it’s more than just that. 
Besides the archaic private school labels 
and beyond the sports, it’s a place where 
people excel in every field and interest 
imaginable, while also growing to be gen-
uinely good human beings. It’s a place of 
possibilities, and it’s a place that has given 
me more happiness than I’ve ever known. 
I got to spend four full years surrounded 
by endless opportunities and remarkable 
people. I now have a lifetime to think back 
on these memories, and strive to make 
more that could instill as much joy. 
Go 18-year-old me for choosing the 
University of Michigan without even visit-
ing. You knew what you were doing when 
you chose this school because you heard 
the people were good. Thank you, Mom 
and Dad, for giving me this life-changing 
opportunity, and Michigan for being the 
best decision I ever made. How fortunate 
I am to call myself a Michigan Wolverine. 
How blessed I am that no matter where I 
go, the adage is true — this campus and the 
people in it will always be my home.
And of all the beautiful cities I’ve seen, 
this is still my favorite place in the world.
How lucky I am.

BY MICHELLE KIM, STATEMENT COLUMNIST
BY YASHASVINI NANNAPURAJU, STATEMENT CONTRIBUTOR

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTINE JEGARL

