Seniors: Give Your Own "Last Lecture"

Contest winner Cathy Caruthers, a May 2009 graduate, offers her "Last Lecture" ...

Truman is an amazing school. Despite the small town that surrounds it, Truman is a community of its own. As an outgoing graduate student who spent 5 years here, the biggest piece of advice that I can give the new freshmen is to GET INVOLVED ON CAMPUS!! The experiences that you have in campus organizations will drive your love for the school, and will shape your every experience at Truman. After you join, take some initiative, become a leader. The ability to lead a group that you are passionate about will only further your love of Truman. Plus, you'll never have to worry about being bored in the little town of Kirksville- those groups will keep you BUSY! On the other hand, the little town of Kirksville isn't too bad. There are lots of things to do, if you just look for them. And, they are all within walking distance! This is something that you learn to appreciate even more once you're gone, and everything is far away. On that note, stay over a summer and take classes. I stayed in Kirksville twice over summer break, and took a total of 27 hours over those two breaks. And I can honestly say that those were two of the best summers of my entire life! You learn to bond with people that you never thought you'd meet, there is plenty of time to bask in the sun at the pool, and it is a chance to relax while seeing the campus and community from a different perspective. Plus, the landscaping on campus in the summertime is GORGEOUS.

In closing, my experiences at Truman were unforgettable. I attribute my love for that school to my organization involvement, my love of the town (which grew over time), and summertime excursions. I hope that future incoming freshmen can take this advice and use it to shape their own experiences, and learn to love Truman as I did.

Based upon Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch's Last Lecture.  More information can be found at the Last Lecture website.