Final Tribute

David R.

June 2, 2011 - 12:40 PM

I'm sitting here in awe as I write my last official blog for the University of Oregon. The fact that I am graduating is starting to hit me, and I can't believe that my college career is about over. Today I went in to say my final goodbye to the woman who is in charge of the bloggers, and it hit me that this segment of my life is over. I have a take home final that I will submit online next Tuesday, so today is officially the last day of class that I will ever have as a student at Oregon. We lost our softball game yesterday, but we made a nice push through the playoffs nonetheless.

I arrived in Eugene in the fall of 2007, not knowing what to expect or how I would enjoy my experience here. It was my first time every being away from home, but I quickly became caught up in the college life and made a new home for myself in Eugene. I quickly made friends through multiple different facets of the college experience. From the dorms, to my fraternity, to the club baseball team and my fig, I made some of the best friends that I have had in college and I will always savor the relationships that I made. I will never forget the first football game that I went to in Autzen Stadium, even though we lost. Football games are certainly one of the coolest things that I have been a part of in college, and one of the best things about being a student here. My time spent on the club baseball team was unforgettable, and it allowed me to pursue a passion of mine while still being at a larger university. Not many people can say that they have played at the Boston Red Sox spring training facility, or that they were a part of the third best club baseball team in the nation.

I will never forget all of the people that I met while I was here, and all of the experiences that I have had from academics to extra-curricular activities have made me the person that I am today. School, Allen Hall Public Relations and the Athletic Department taught me the importance of hard work, while the weekends allowed me to master the work hard play hard mentality. I came here in 2007 as a boy, and I feel that I am leaving a man. I have developed an independence while being out here on my own, and I have developed a sense of creating my own direction for the life that I want to live. From the struggles of picking a major and fighting my way through the notorious info hell project, I created an identity for myself and a vision for the kind of life and career I want to have. The University of Oregon has prepared me for life after college and being a man in the real world.

From the spring break trips, the weekend parties, and wild nights at Taylors, to memorial day outings, random weekend excursions and Oregon football (just to name a few), the last four years have certainly been the best of my life, just as they should be for any college student. I hope that you have enjoyed my blogs as much as I have enjoyed writing them, and I thank you for reading them. I'm sad that my college experience is ending, but excited for being an alumni out in the world representing this proud university. The University of Oregon will always have a place in my heart, and I will remember my time spent here until the day that I die. Oregon provides one of the best college experiences anyone could ask for, and I have never been more proud to be a Duck. I will "rep" Duck spirit for as long as I live, and as Chip Kelly would say, "Win The Day." One love.