A Farewell, A Look Back and A Step Forward
Salma Ahmed
Former Editor-in-Chief
Thursday, May 21 I was forcefully deprived of many of my defining qualities: being an overworked and sleep-hungry AUC student, a proud member of several extracurricular activities and a prominent part of the bus-gate smoking area, where my smoker friends would drag me every time they craved a cigarette.
Funny thing is, it wasn’t just me who was deprived and longing and it wasn’t just the graduating class of 2020, it was the entire AUC community. We were all deprived of so much and without a warning.
It seemed stupid to whine and moan when people were dying, fired from their only source of income and protesting and fighting for racial justice. My problems are pure luxuries in comparison to the people killed, arrested and injured while fighting for basic human rights.
My apologies for the delayed goodbyes, but it only seemed right to wait and allow the spotlight to shine on those who needed it most before I bid my farewells.
So here goes.
I am bitter about a lot of what this year has given me, but most prominently about the abrupt goodbyes exchanged between my professors and I. I had this whole plan of how I was going to honor those who changed my life during the short four years I spent at the university. I wanted to let them know that their work was not lost in vain and that they were much more than their ungrateful students who complained and argued like it was their job.
I wanted my professors to know that they have helped me find my passion and discover my purpose. I wanted to create one lasting impression before I become just one of the thousands they have come across during their years in education. I am bitter I will never get to hug them one last time and thank them for being so knowledgeable and passionate and impactful.
I am bitter I will never get closure from those friends I constantly saw during my whereabouts on campus and never got to exchange numbers with. I will never yell a greeting while passing my favorite security guard who always ensured to ask about my wellbeing.
I know that crossing such a major achievement off my list means that I will lose contact with some of my favorite people, people who I took for granted and people who I loved so dearly but never succeeded to voice my love for.
There is this stigma about AUC students and alumni and how they never really leave AUC. Once they step foot and have a taste of what it has to offer, they become addicted and crave more even if it is at the unreasonable price of a million pounds for a four year degree.
It’s not just that I finally found somewhere to belong and people to love unconditionally, I was able to find my passion and excelled at something I was once told I was a failure at.
Two years before I enrolled at AUC, my English teacher – whom I sought approval from so needfully – told me that I couldn’t write to save my life and saw no hope in me as a writer. I now truly wish I could remember her name or any method of contacting her so I can send her my extended list of articles and opinion pieces I’ve written as a reporter, editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief of The Caravan.
The Caravan: The campus student newspaper which I managed until it became a part of my psyche and I a part of its long honorable history. For some, it is a weekly, printed newspaper which they may overlook as they rush to class, while others may take a copy just to throw it away later.
Nevertheless, I was responsible to ensure to the best of the staff’s capabilities that it was free of a single spelling, grammar or design mistake. In spring 2020, The Caravan made the shift to exclusively online production just like many newspapers and periodicals around the paper. And yet … The Caravan has caused more tears than one would expect, overseen by a brilliant man and brilliant crew, making it an immense pleasure to have been a part of its history.
A month has passed by as a graduate and I have already come to learn about the numerous privileges I had as an AUC student, from my booming social skills to my hands-on experience in various fields. My four years of higher education had more of an impact on the person I am today than the 17 years prior to that.
No matter where in the world I land, I know for a fact that nowhere will embrace me and keep me safe like the walls of AUC did.
Among the biggest drawbacks of graduating is missing out on snagging up a rich AUCian husband, but I guess I can settle for a regular civilian since I can bring in major cash with my newly equipped AUC degree in Multimedia Journalism and my extended list of potential employers hoping to get their hands on a rare find.
So here’s to AUC, its beautiful campus and the smiling faces I crossed everyday during my time there.
