Being a TCU student for four years has taught me many things, but the one that stands out the most is simple: enjoy every moment. I’ve done a lot of things in my time as a Horned Frog. I’ve been Panhellenic President, Student Foundation President, a Neeley Fellow, a Frog Camp facilitator and a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, just to name a few. However, it hasn’t been the big, organized functions I will remember most after graduation. More than anything, I’m going to remember (and miss!) impromptu dinners with my sorority sisters on campus, trying to finish a Fellows project (but really goofing around) and the smiling faces I’ve gotten to see every day. The people here are what gives TCU its amazing atmosphere, and I encourage each of you to get to know someone new every time you get the chance. You can never meet enough Horned Frogs, whether current students or alumni.
I was in a really bad car accident recently, so I’ve been given the opportunity to walk to class from off campus every day. This may sound miserable when it’s a 15-minute hike to my 10 a.m. class, but it’s been an awesome way to end my senior year. Just walking around campus and looking, really looking, at this place has been such an eye opener. I didn’t realize it before, but walking to class is one of the most social activities in existence. I always tell my Student Foundation tour groups, “I’ll always see at least one smiling face I know while walking to class.” That phrase could definitely be classified as the understatement of the year! I’ve actually found myself keeping in touch with more people now that I see them nearly every day of the week. The lesson to be learned from this: stay as close to campus as you can for as long as you can during your time as a TCU student. You won’t regret it!
I’ll be honest with you: I would give anything to not have to graduate. Leaving this place is going to be tough, especially with all the fabulous changes going on right now. No more student section at football games, no more send home billing at the bookstore and no more sorority socials for me. At the beginning of this year, I was positive the end of those three things would be the end of my life as I knew it. Now, I know I really have it figured out. I’m going to miss the little moments, being so close to my friends and getting the opportunity to make a difference on campus. I’ll be giving back to TCU in one way or another for the rest of my life because that’s what you do when a place has given you as much as TCU has given me.
When I walk across the stage on May 8, I hope I leave a legacy of pushing the envelope and always asking, “why?” I’ve never been a person to go with the natural flow of things, and I hope people whom I’ve worked with in various organizations can see just that. The faculty, staff and administration at TCU want to hear students’ opinions; don’t be afraid to give them yours. I’m sticking around Fort Worth when I graduate, so I hope when I come back I see the tradition of positive, forward-moving change still occurring. You get as much out of TCU as you put into it, and I’m here to tell you, once you start making your mark, you will never turn back. So start now, while you still have time.
Lindsay Ray is a senior entrepreneurial management and theatre double degree from Fort Worth.
