End of an Era

The other day I recieved an email from my mom. It basically talked about her life in Boulder raising a very cute Baby Dylan and a pretty-cute-but-not-as-cute-as-his-older-brother Jacob. She was shocked at how far her life had come and where she was now, something a certain college blogger can relate to.

"Last I checked, I was just another screwed-up teenager in Houston and all of the sudden my life was so very different and grown up. I was surrounded by a lot of people who loved me and I loved them, but not one of them had been a part of my life for more than four years."- Marcia Derryberry

My time at CMC has come and gone and I can't help but look back on the past 2 years and wonder about the people who have come into my life. It may have been a very short time period, but some of the relationships I have made have been the most influential in my life. Many consider college the most important four years of your life, where you will do most of your growing and I truly can't argue with that. The semi-shy, slightly awkward, first-time student who came to Colorado in 2008 had no idea what to do with himself and had to overcome a very firm shell so he could break out into the collegiate world. I'll let you guys decide how I did.

So of course this sentimental mumbo jumbo is all connected to this past weekend's graduation. Only two years after my high school ceremony, I walked across the stage again and snagged another diploma. Now although I do plan on venturing to a four year university in the fall and the Associate of Arts Degree I earned won't mean a whole lot when I grab a Bachelor Degree, it is still such an honor to have been awarded this after all my hard work.

Now I'm no fan of sitting still in one place too long, so of course there were moments throughout the ceremony that I got a little restless and continued to glance at my program to see where we were at, but over all I have to give it to CMC for their speediness. It wasn't like the event felt rushed or anything, but I was surprised at how quickly it finished up. The speakers at the ceremony were very good as well. The newly retired CEO of the CMC Foundation Alexandra Yajko, a woman who in her nearly 20 years with the school has raised over 25 million dollars, gave an amazingly heartfelt speech about her polish heritage and immigration into America as well as the educational opportunities available to us that many across the world do not see. Fellow graduate and Student Body President Lucas Arnold also wooed the crowd with a combination of well-placed humor (the Hawaiian local didn't feel comfortable wearing shoes on stage) and sentimental advice for his fellow graduates and coming of age adults in general.

It really was a great ceremony and one of the most interesting things about it, something I had never seen before, was the fact that they let every one of the graduates say a few words before accepting their diploma. Although there were a lot of "Thanks Mom and Dad", "Thanks faculty and staff", as well as many quick worded "Hi guys", I took it upon myself to take a little bit of time and brought forth the commentary of my first paragraph in this post. Unfortunately my mother couldn't make it due to scheduling conflicts, so I personified her through the words she passed on to me just a few days before. EXTREMELY fortunately though, my father, stepmother and a very good family friend as well as roommate and fellow graduate Jessica Blosser's insanely funny family were all able to make it and we had a very fun time. Something I'm sure they wouldn't want me to go into too much embarrassing detail about. All in all the weekend was a very good wrap up to my time at CMC and held some very nice closure. It's been a quick two years, but it's nice to see how far I've come.

When I first came to CMC I had no other intention than to get rid of a few general education courses so I could transfer. The school didn't have my major and none of the classes would really prepare me for my future profession. Well as it turned out, the personality needed in journalism as well as the willingness to enter unusual and interesting situations has stemmed from my time at the college and will truly help. That and the obvious blogging job has not only enhanced my writing ability and lifestyle journalism skills, but also opened a number of doors for my future (The Olympics?). I owe a lot to this school and the people around me.

I am surrounded by a lot of people who love me and I love them, but not one of them had been a part of my life for more than two years.- Dylan Derryberry

So now the big question; Where to from here? Well that's the funny thing about life, you rarely know. Although I do plan on staying in Glenwood the next month, perhaps the summer if I can find a job, I will transfer to the University of Kansas in the Fall and of course I have all sorts of big plans in life, but you never know where you'll end up. One thing I can tell you though is that this blog will not see its end for quite some time. My time at Colorado Mountain College may be coming to an end, but my college life still has a way to go. So with that I would like to introduce everyone to: The Collegiate Capers of Dylan Derryberry.

I know it sounds like the title to a Hardy Boys spinoff, but for one I couldn't think of a better alliteration that went well with "Collegiate" and two, college and life in general really does hold a mystery behind it. We will never truly know what's going to come next, but that doesn't mean I won't chronicle my adventures. Yes, I realize that "Chronicles" would have worked well with "Collegiate", but I didn't want to steal any fame from my fellow blogger Jake Malenick with The Collarbone Chronicles. Duh.

So yes, you should all continue to read about my life and all the crazy things that happen alongside it. I'm working on changing the layout name and perhaps the URL (with a redirect from this URL as well) so be on the lookout for that soon.

Until the next time guys,

-Dylan Derryberry (Aspiring Journalist and Colorado Mountain College Graduate)