Michelle O’Brien

"Who would win in a fight: five duck-sized lions or a lion-sized duck?"

I can't tell you the number of times I've heard this same debate hashed out. And you'd be surprised how vehemently people defend their opinions. Some people claim that no matter their size, the duck-sized lions' teeth would rip the lion-sized duck apart before it could do anything in retaliation. Others insist that the duck would stomp on the lions, crushing them and preventing any attack.

A few days ago, I was sitting on the sidelines of our annual seniors vs. freshman frisbee game, listening to my teammates reason this out for what seemed like the thousandth time, when it hit me: this might be the last time I ever get to hear these guys have this silly argument. I've spent the last four years of my life hanging out with these people, and I hadn't realized until this moment exactly how much those four years have meant, and changed us all.

With a few notable additions, I'm pretty much still friends with the same people I knew freshman year. Which, when you think about it, is sort of ridiculous. How is it possible that, in these years of change and growth and HORMONES, that we've all changed and become closer rather than further apart.

Who would have thought that the girl who I awkwardly met on the night of Serenading (and her birthday) freshman year would become one of my closest friends and housemates? Or that the girl who was my partner for my Stagecraft project and those three randos in my freshman writing seminar would work on a senior thesis project with me? Or that that boy that I had SUCH a huge crush on first semester freshman year would turn out to be a totally platonic but completely irreplaceable friend and co-captain? And what's even more incredible than the fact that I have known all these people so long is that we've put up with each other's crap, and loved each other despite of and because of it.

When it comes down to it, what I'll remember and cherish most about my time at Vassar is the people I spent it with. I spent most of my days running from appointment to meeting to rehearsal, with few breaks in between. My calendar was almost always completely full, and yet it rarely bothered me. I just knew that whether I was headed for Shakespeare Troupe rehearsal or frisbee practice, wherever I was running off to next was a place where I could look forward to spending time with people I enjoyed spending time with, whether we were being productive or just silly.

I don't know how many of these people who I'm in constant contact with will continue to be in my life after college. I can only hope that most of them will be, even if only peripherally or occasionally. I have so appreciated getting to know the quirks and mannerisms and conversations of my Vassar classmates, and I'm so excited to see where all of our paths will lead us.

One of the great tragedies, if you can call it that, of college is the breadth of people with whom you come into contact, and the lack of time to spend with each of them and to tell them how much you love them. I firmly believe that I would not be the person I have become at Vassar had it not been for the beautiful and wonderful people with whom I come in contact every day. Vassar people are just special in their own way, and are singularly capable of switching from intellectual discourse to duck-sized lions at the drop of a hat. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you guys. For being silly and making theatre and playing frisbee and eventually morphing into real people with me (And just in case you're wondering, there's no way in hell that a bird, no matter how big, could ever beat five carnivores in a fight. Duck-sized lions for the win).

—Michele O'Brien is the captain of the Vassar Ultimate Frisbee team.