The best part of my job, hands down, is getting to teach the Freshmen Interest Group. While I have two TAs (that are doing fabulous work), occasionally, I get to speak to them directly. Planning these sessions is always a delight for me.
Lucky for me I get to present twice in the coming weeks... supposedly on different topics, but let's be honest, they'll probably turn into the same thing.
Anywho, folks. My charge for one class is to talk about ME (terrifying), and open up to the kiddos about my time in school, have a candid Q&A, and hope they still respect me as their Advisor when we cross the finish line. Cue soul-searching, and desperate quest for lessons I have learned (see: still learning and i-might-not-be-put-together-enough-to-teach-them-anything)
The other, is to talk about what to do with a music degree
(welfare. kidding.... kind of)
and how to maximize music school. don't screw this up, AMC.
NO PRESSURE AT ALL.
As I sort through my wispy thoughts... and try to form a concrete thesis, my mind keeps returning to one amazing person. Since I can't turn my lecture into a tribute for her, I'm doing it here.
Sometimes,
if you're really lucky,
you'll meet the quirkiest person you can imagine.
She'll pack strange lunches, sing in the hallway, laugh louder than anyone you've ever heard, and remind you of the common root words between "temper" and "tempest."
You'll be mesmerized.
Then, one day, you'll look up and realize that this person is now one of your best friends. As a young college student, I was blessed to have a person like this enter my life. Her name was Kristin Cunningham, and she is, to this day, the most interesting person I've ever met.
She was a Master's student, but didn't resent that I was a young and naive undergrad that she was assigned to work with. She encouraged EVERYONE, but she also let you know when you were letting yourself down. Her smile was contagious, and when she loved anything, it was with amazing ferocity.
When she started getting sick, no one even knew what was happening. Her sickness crept in the backdoor and shook up her entire life. But she refused to stop. She continued teaching, playing, supporting and being all around powerful.
On St. Patrick's Day of 2008, she passed.
Saying it was "too soon" does not come close to expressing it. I couldn't believe it. Sometimes I still can't- her energy was too big to stop being.
So, what I want to say to my students is the following:
Everything I want you to learn today is:
you have to love with your whole heart.
Love what you're doing, and don't ever let anyone take it from you.
Love your friends, they will truly never forget you, or the strength that you gave them.
Love living.
Just, Love all of it, and you won't have regrets.
Most of all, Love you. You're amazing.
That goes for you folks, too. Got it?
