The Breakup Letter – Wake Washington edition
Before we get to our guest blog, wanted to make families aware of a program note from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
Upcoming Webinars: The recruitment processes for the fraternity and sorority community can be a fun and exciting time – and it can be confusing and stressful. The Fraternity/Sorority Life staff will host webinars to explain each of the processes for joining fraternities and sororities on campus. Join us at one of the times below and get your questions answered. Registration links are included for each session.
Family Webinar: Panhellenic Council Recruitment – Thursday, December 7 at 12:00 pm EST
Family Webinar: Panhellenic Council Recruitment – Wednesday, December 13 at 5:30 pm EST
Family Webinar: Interfraternity Council Recruitment – Friday, January 5 at 12:00 pm EST
Family Webinar: NPHC Intake – Thursday, January 25 at 1:15 pm EST
And now…today is our final blog from Emily Beeland (’19), our Wake Washington guest blogger.
Dear Wake Washington,
It’s not you, it’s me.
I know, I know, that is the most cliche line in the book, but it’s true. I hate to do this to you, but it is time for me to move on with my life. I have bigger and better things planned, and unfortunately you just don’t fit into that plan anymore. I’m sorry, I know this is hard – I just need to do what is best for me.
I’m not gonna lie, I had some pretty great times while I was with you. We went hiking in Rock Creek Park and Great Falls National Park; we tried multitudes of restaurants (though I think my favorite still is Hen Quarter…. or Founding Farmers…. no, Hen Quarter…. Oh well, they both are great!); we went to almost all of the Smithsonians, but my favorite was the Museum of American History; you showed me the interconnection of my interests in politics and German at the German-American Heritage Museum; and you brought me to one of my favorite places in the city – the section of Thomas Moran paintings in the National Gallery of Art & National Portrait Gallery. You made me remember that no matter how far I go, those summer days spent working in Yellowstone National Park are never too far away, and this was perhaps one of the greatest things you could have taught a girl who was (and still is) unsure of what she wanted from life. You, Wake Washington, have shown me what Washington D.C. is like and you let me figure out for myself if this is city I want to return to in the future, and I can’t thank you enough for that.
We’ve also had some pretty rough times, like those nights where you made me question if I made the right choice to pack up and go hundreds of miles away from what is comfortable (yes, Washington is not a foreign country, but for a small-town girl, there were times when D.C. felt more foreign than any country in Europe that I have ever been to). Not to mention the countless hours of classwork that I felt like I could never escape – “Work Forest” lived up to its name even when I was with you, Wake Washington.
In our time together, you also introduced me to a lot of people, for which I will be forever be grateful. Through you, I met staffers on the Hill, journalists for the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, Civil Rights Activist Vernon Jordan, NBC News anchor Andrea Mitchell, the Surgeon General of the Navy, attorneys who have argued in front of the Supreme Court, journalists Al Hunt and Judy Woodruff, authors, numerous speechwriters, consultants, Senator Richard Burr, and Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. You brought me into a whole new world that I only ever dreamed of being a part of and I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for that.
But, as great of a time that we had together, it is time for me to move on. I know, it’s hard to understand – after all, how can I leave after all the great things that I just mentioned? Wake Washington, it is time for me to go back to our beloved Mother So Dear, continue to grow intellectually, and take what you have taught me and share it with the world. I may not know exactly how I’m going to share it – will I write? will I become a business executive? will I travel? – but I will share it. For you, Wake Washington, have taught me some of the greatest lessons that I have learned thus far. You taught me that home is never that far away; that I can get through the roughest of times; that it is worth trying new experiences (because you never know what is going to come from them).
Most importantly, you taught me that there is a place in the world for me. Sometimes it’s hard being a junior, because we are stuck in this in-between space and have a mindset that we need to know what our life is gonna amount to by the time we reach senior year – but you taught me that that isn’t true and I don’t have to know right now. So, thank you.
I know it is hard, Wake Washington, but this is my final goodbye. You have given me an incredible past three months, but it is finally time for me to move on. After all, me leaving means that another person will be able to experience the eye-opening and life-changing semester that is Wake Washington.
Love always,
Emily