Seniors, let’s admit it: We are all in denial. We all know that in a few months’ time, we will no longer be Georgetown students. The clock is ticking, May is approaching and when it comes, we’re all going to take one hard look at Healy Tower before having to walk out the front gates to face the ominous future.

Knowing that our time left here is limited, we’ve been dancing in the sunset of our college years and stockpiling on Georgetown memories while we can. Many of us have been trading our late nights at Lauinger for late nights in The Tombs, or foregoing an assignment or two for extra time with friends from freshman year. We do this because after graduation, everything will be radically different: Our friends will not be a few minutes’ walk away, but scattered throughout the various pockets of the world, and instead of having to attend a few hours of classes throughout the day, many of us will be working rigorous nine-to-five jobs in an office. We will soon find that what we call “partying” in college is referred to as “alcoholism” in the real world, because instead of being students, we will be . adults. Man, how the time has flown.

Looking back on my years here, I came to the conclusion that Georgetown isn’t an institution in my mind. To me, Georgetown is all about the people: the professor who wrote you a recommendation letter to get your foot in the door of the job of your dreams eventhough you were late to class 89 percent of the time; your best friend who gets excited over your successes and helps you laugh off your shameful moments; the cute girl or guy at Midnight MUG who knows your order; “that” guy who brings Tupperware to Leo’s; the sweaty bodies you weave through at a dance party in Henle; the GERMS kids who made sure you were alright when you got home from that party; the young D.C. student whose life you changed just by sitting and reading with him; the smiling faces outside of Leo’s who collect extra Grab-‘n-Go’s for the homeless on cold, windy days; the stranger you spent 24 hours with when you both slept outside McDonough for Final Four tickets; the students who walk around campus with warm confidence in the eyes wearing “I am” shirts; the random singing buddy who belted Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” with you on the dance floor at The Tombs; the friend who points out that you still have a stamp on your hand the morning after; the person you fell recklessly in love with freshman year; the person you’re falling in love with senior year, despite the hurdle ahead.

Georgetown has taught us about life and the students teach each other these invaluable lessons. In forging every relationship we’ve had on campus, we have shown others who we are, and in turn, we have learned what it means to accept ourselves and care for others. The best thing about Georgetown is, by far, the people who teach and go here, who bring to the school their individual memories and leave with shared ones.

Seniors, at this point, we’re clinging to every memory and doing our best to create new ones. But to what avail? What good is a wealth of memories if we cannot pass on the opportunity for others to experience the same riches? Right now, we’re savoring every moment of our time left at Georgetown, but as we look towards graduation, we must consider the people who will call it home after we leave the nest. Georgetown has fostered us into adulthood and prepared us to reach new levels of success out there in the “real world.” As we cross over into this new phase in our lives, we can ensure that next August, those freshmen walking through the front gates for the first time will be able to experience their own set of memories that we were fortunate enough to enjoy. As seniors, we have the ability to sustain the traditions of Georgetown that have led to this wealth of powerful experiences, great memories and even better friends.

This year, as has been the tradition of seniors for nearly two decades, we will come together to present a gift to commemorate four wonderful years at Georgetown. Every year, seniors pool together to present a gift to commemorate their years at Georgetown. It’s our way of saying, “This was our home for four years, and it will forever be home even after we’re gone.” Last year’s Senior Class Gift has given the Georgetown Fund the ability to purchase a new GERMS ambulance, provide over $2.7 million in scholarships to students in need and raise $1.3 million to keep attracting legendary faculty members. This year, the Senior Class Gift committee is making it possible for you to sustain the Georgetown Fund, so it can help future students as needed, or, if you’d prefer, donate to a specific campus group, athletic team or any other facet of Georgetown life that has made an impact on your time here.

The Senior Class Gift is not just about the money. It’s about Georgetown’s reputation, as determined by your participation: U.S. News & World Report factor in alumni-giving participation when determining national university rankings. Your participation alone, not the amount you give, gives Georgetown a boost in these scores – we have outperformed peers like Harvard, Yale and MIT in the past, but to keep this up we need your help. Last year, Georgetown was ranked 23rd in its alumni-giving participation – there is no way that 22 other schools love their campus more than we do. The sea of gray “We Are Georgetown” shirts at every basketball game attests to our love for this school; let’s make sure the statistics get it right too.

At this moment, we’re standing at the threshold of one of life’s biggest transitions, and as we cross over into adulthood, don’t forget to look back. The people we spent our years with have taken care of us; now it’s time to be the caretakers.

Amidst the looming uncertainty of the future, we can rest assured that there’s one reliable constant in our lives: We will always be Hoyas, regardless of where we end up living, what we end up doing and how old we get. The number 37 and the letter O will always have a special significance in our lives. Every time you hear the phrase, “It’s been so long,” you’ll feel a sudden urge to break out into song.

This is because we, as Hoyas, know that Georgetown will always be a part of us. But the question remains: Will we remain a part of Georgetown?

Jane Yu is a senior in the College, a member of the marketing board of the Senior Class Gift Committee and a columnist for THE GUIDE.

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