By VICTORIA ARNDT ’25
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 25 April 2025
Well, here we are, folks. The end of an era. It feels like yesterday that I was watching my parents drive away as I stood in front of Gillette, and now I’m graduating. Kind of crazy, right? When I first came to Houghton, I had no idea what to expect. While I was used to leaving home for an extended period of time, my only experience with it had been summer camp. Being away from my hometown and family for months sounded like torture, especially when I was so close to my family and was being forced out of my comfort zone by being away from everything I knew.
If only I knew how insane but fulfilling my life was about to become.
Right off the bat, I was thrown into life’s crazy adventures. My younger brother Matthew chipped his elbow and had to spend a few weeks with his whole arm in a cast. I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do with my career path. I spent Sundays at a friend’s house in Perry, NY, and while I didn’t know it at the time, this would benefit me when I need to go back to Perry with another friend three years later. Sophomore and junior years I developed more of my interest in creative writing and explored a side of me that I swore I would never do in freshman year: work for the Houghton STAR. Jokes on me since I’ve been working for it for two years, huh?
I watched as some friends grew distant and others remained, while new ones became close companions. I learned to better understand people and in turn helped people to better understand me. I improved my skills in communication and writing to reach an audience that might listen to what I was trying to say.
That being said, my time at Houghton has been life-changing in several ways. My class, the Class of 2025, was the last class to be living in Shen before its two year closing, and the last class to attend Houghton College before it became a university. Faculty and staff have come and gone, some of whom I had been good friends with. I became the Opinions Editor for the Houghton STAR and then the Co-Editor-in-Chief, a role I’ve come into after the encouragement of many friends and family. I took an internship in the marketing office (known as MarComm) that helped me to explore more of the marketing side of the university. I know how long it takes to walk from Fancher Hall to the KPAC round trip (about an hour and thirty minutes, but that’s just me and my short legs. I should know; I’ve done it twice in one day). I’ve done a lot of things and met so many amazing people that I wouldn’t have done or met if I hadn’t come to Houghton, and I’m eternally grateful to have met every single one of them. So many people have poured into me with their kindness and their encouragement, and in return I have grown into a person who has become stronger and wiser, both in personality and spiritually.
As I leave Houghton and enter the working world, I want to give you some parting words of wisdom. Reach out to people and make connections with others. Say “Hi” to a floor-mate you don’t see very often, or talk to a classmate who seems like they need a smile and a friendly greeting. Get a coffee with a professor or a friend and see how they’re doing. Join a club or an organization that will help you get involved with others. Creating connections among friends and faculty will not only be beneficial to your social life by giving you emotional and fulfilling ways to engage with others and increase your understanding of the way people feel and think, but also help create a network of connections that will help you start a career when you enter the work field.
So to all the friends, faculty, and staff who have helped me along this journey: thank you for everything you have done for me. Your wisdom and support have helped me to grow into the person I have become at the end of these four years. And to all of those who I have met near the end of this journey: I’m glad that we met and had a chance to talk. Stay strong and enjoy your years at Houghton. Sometimes it’ll feel like the world is coming down on you, and other days it’ll feel that you have all the time in the world. Remember that you have people around you who will support you and lift you up in the good times and the bad. And most of all, remember that God loves you and is always watching over you.
So long and farewell, my friends. Thank you for making Houghton Houghton. And who knows? Perhaps we’ll meet again in the future one day. ★
