BY CONAN LYNCH, STAFF WRITER
photo courtesy of Meghan Baehl
As I look back on my time at St. Bonaventure University, it’s hard not to smile. This place is my home. I had no idea how much it would mean to me by the end of it all. I almost ended up going somewhere else. That would’ve been a mistake. I’m sad to see my time here come to an end, but this place will always have a piece of my heart.
One of my favorite things that Bonaventure has given me is a second family in the form of the lacrosse team. I can’t say I’ve laughed harder than I have just sitting around talking with my teammates. My sophomore year, we got our first win in program history. My junior year, we made it to the MAAC championship game. There have been a fair share of ups and downs, but I’m beyond thankful to have had a part in the growth of this program. And I’m excited to see where it goes after I’m gone. Shoutout to the goalies for being the grittiest guys on the field.
Bonaventure has also blessed me in ways outside of lacrosse. I’ve had a few solid professors who saw what I was capable of and weren’t afraid to push me (It might have even haunted me at one point.) If you’re reading this, you know who you are. Thank you. I didn’t realize it, but I needed it.
I also wanted to give a special shoutout to the one and only opinions editor, Meghan Baehl. She’s the one who gave me my final nudge toward working for the newspaper. If it weren’t for her, none of you would be enlightened on the intricacies of yo-yoing or the complex framework of Batman comics. I’ll also say that my biggest regret is not writing for The Bona Venture sooner! I got to meet some cool people and gain some experience in a newsroom environment.
A few more people I wanted to shout out are Mark Belles, Jacob Emmick, Colby Sroda, Jake Rosa, Joey Paterno, Brady Wijbrandts, Adam Shank, Brett Chiodo and Andrew Hersey. You guys are my best friends, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you. I just wanted a chance to put in writing how thankful I am. Nothing beats hanging out with you guys.
Since all good things must come to an end, I will keep it short and sweet … and corny. I wasn’t sure if I would like St. Bonaventure. I thought coming here might not have been the best idea. My dad likes to tell me I took the “road not taken” by coming here and loves to quote Robert Frost. He’s the one that encouraged me to roll the dice and take a chance. So, like my dad, I’ll leave you with a Frost quote to ponder next time you’re about to make a big life decision.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
lynchcb@bonaventure.edu
