Breanna Lee

It might surprise people who know me well, but I will dearly miss Vassar. I don't think they'd be surprised if I merely said I loved the education I've gotten here. After all, I stayed here because of the education. But it's not the only reason. As much as I've had an occasionally difficult time here, in many long, complicated, and ultimately embarrassing ways, I love this school and I will never regret what I have gained here.

Mostly, in these last few weeks here, I've been thinking how much I love this place. There are not many opportunities in the world where you can wander around in an arboretum at night and feel completely safe. I will miss those watchful blue lights, just waiting for you to get in trouble so they can save you. I will miss the random herds of deer wandering with impunity across the campus. And of course there are things wrong with this—blue lights go out, the herds of deer are a symptom of an imbalanced ecosystem. But still: There is nothing as beautiful as Vassar's campus at night.

Unless it's Vassar in the day. Vassar is always beautiful. We've got the splendor of trees in the autumn, the pristine brilliance of the winter snow and the exuberance of spring flowers. (There are maybe two weeks in March where things are grey and muddy and just not comfortable, but even then, Vassar's still pretty nice). And that's not even counting the buildings. The first time I came here, I looked at the library and called it a palace. Actually being enrolled didn't change anything. For my very first of classes, I had a 9 a.m. Latin class. I remember walking into Sander's classroom and thinking, "Wow, I'm in college. I must be, there's all this brick." Vassar just looks like a college, doesn't it? Sure, there's the brick, but there's also the hollows in the stairs where years upon years of students have walked, the books in the library that thousands of people have read and learned from. There's so much history here and that's a wonderful gift to have. It's a history that we've heard so much about and celebrated so much this sesquicentennial.

I'm a Victorian Studies major and there are very few people in the world who appreciate the Victorian Studies majors at Vassar. For the past three years, I have often walked across campus dressed in Victorian garb and no one has looked twice. (Okay, they looked twice. Sometimes three times. Sometimes they giggled. But mostly they smiled and approved).

Vassar has taught me to embrace my love of the past. But so much of what is Vassar is what is new. Would Main be as awesome as it is if the College Center wasn't attached? Would I be a Victorian Studies major if I couldn't also be an English major? I have always felt that the best way to understand ourselves is to understand the past. But it's also important to remember that we live in the present. Being here constantly reminded me of that, whether it was because I was discussing Lady Gaga in class or because I was listening to her at a party at the Town Houses.

And I've learned other things, arguably more important. I have learned how to read novels with a critical mind and read criticism like a novel. I've discovered how much I enjoy Tennyson and how hard it is for me to learn Latin. I wrote—and finished—my thesis. I've gotten really great at packing up a dorm room and finding people to help me carry boxes of books down many flights of stairs. Best of all, I've figured out how to take care of myself, which is worth more than anything else I could have gotten here.

I am excited about graduating. Excited and terrified, but completely ready. I love that I went here, I love what this experience has given me. I would not be who I am without Vassar and that would be a shame.

—Breanna Lee is the outgoing president of the Knights of Commuknitty.