I'm preparing right now to graduate and actually begin a real life. These are my last few weeks of college, and this is my last issue of Reporter. It's been real.

At this point, I'm stuck in a loop of constant reminiscing on days past. A lot has changed in the world, and in my life since I was young, innocent and optimistic about the future. It's a kind of fond self-reflection. I think we all do it; take a look back at ourselves and how times were so great back before you had responsibility, or real concerns at all. We remember because it gives us hope that things were once better and could be again, or that things have truly improved. We see a mental portrait of the smiling youth so carefree and full of potential, or the long summer days. First kisses, birthdays, frustrating sprinkles of regret every now and then.

Of course, it's mostly a lie. I can spend most of my life longingly looking back at the past with rose-tinted glasses. It doesn't change the fact that, at the heart of everything, I was an awkward, socially anxious youth who grew up to be a bitter, lonesome and cynical adult. Not much can change that, and that revelation is little consolation to anything. In fact, it's detrimental to know that despite all of your accomplishments, you still can't escape who you were or who you are. But if there's anything to take away from this, it's that you can shape who you're going to be.