Thoughts from an alumna visiting her college town

This past weekend, I visited my college town of Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the football game against Texas A&M. It also happened to be the same weekend that my sorority was hosting the new house dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. I chose the perfect weekend to make my first post-grad appearance.
I immediately felt at home getting off the plane in Birmingham on Friday. I rode with friends down to Tuscaloosa and felt the excitement and thrill I used to get before a home game.
The best part of the weekend was seeing old friends who were also visiting, many who had also just graduated with me. However, our conversations weren’t about the next test we had that week, which classes we should sign up for next semester or what our plans were for spring break. We had genuine, adult conversation about our new jobs, our new cities and our new apartments. I even ran into old friends who were engaged or already married! It was surreal seeing first-hand how these four years actually did prepare us to take on the next chapter of our lives, whatever that may be. I had a newfound appreciation for the place I called home for four years, because I didn’t realize that not only was I going to school to earn a degree, but I was also doing a lot of growing up.
The football games are always fun, and there is nothing like standing in the student section.  But I found myself for the first time complaining about the loud music at the local hangout…and it wasn’t even that loud. New apartment complexes were popping up out of nowhere and campus had already seen some vast changes since May. I probably will never have the same feeling of being a student whenever I visit my college town, but I will always be proud to have had the opportunity to call myself a student in Tuscaloosa.
Roll Tide!