Up until this point in our lives, life outside of school seemed almost imaginary. Over the course of the last four years, we exchanged early bedtimes for late nights filled with studying and socializing, swapped class schedules for Workday registrations, gave up summer breaks for professional growth, and left behind our hometown history to shape new identities in a place with seemingly boundless opportunity. Awkwardly, the instant we finally feel as if we are adjusting to the chaos that is college life, the time comes to turn our tassels and wave goodbye to what once was. Life after college—the new challenge we face—feels more like uncharted territory than a finely blazed trail. When we transitioned from high school to college, we knew what to expect: another four years of school, with a sprinkle of independence. For most of our lives, we’ve operated within the structured framework of education, regimented and designed to support our success. After graduation, that structure gives way to greater autonomy and an entire world of opportunity waiting to be tapped. While this adjustment may seem daunting and stressful, our time at Stevens has taught us valuable lessons that may ease this transition. There’s one lesson in particular that would alter my perspective on how I approach various aspects of my personal and professional life, and I’d like to share it with the Class of 2026 in hopes that other new graduates preparing for this new frontier can find comfort in chaos.
When I came to Stevens as a freshman, I made the same mistake as many new students. Having seemingly found a steady friend group after an undeniably tumultuous first semester, I halted my pursuit of community out of a false sense of security and comfort. By the end of the year, I had accumulated a plentiful list of new experiences and unforgettable memories, yet strangely still felt as if a part of me yearned for more in my college experience. At the time, I was engaging with The Stute as a biweekly writer strictly asynchronously and infrequently attending a variety of club events on campus. This unsteady involvement lacked consistency, and I could tell I was more invested in other, more transient aspects of my life at Stevens. As a result, I missed out on countless opportunities to form lasting connections with others and learn from these experiences — amending many of the difficulties I had while adjusting to college life and academics.
In my sophomore year, I took a different approach that would alter the course of my college experience: I began building routine, joining organizations with purpose, and getting outside of my comfort zone. In the semesters that followed, I experimented with different organizations and roles until I found the ones that stuck. Upon graduation, I’ll have dedicated countless hours to The Stute, Sigma Phi Epsilon’s New Jersey Alpha chapter, and the Division of Enrollment Management’s Student Tour Guide cohort. Even though I felt that I had the ambition necessary to perform well in my classes and advance myself personally, professionally, and socially, it wasn’t until I became involved in these organizations that I started to see tangible improvements as an individual and student. Joining these communities allowed me to engage with incredibly motivated, friendly, and inspiring groups of Stevens students. These communities offered me respite from the overwhelming workload of an engineering curriculum, created unforgettable memories shared with some truly awesome people, and provided life skills that I can carry forward as I transition into adulthood. But what newfound understanding helped me make this influential change?
It’s really quite simple: Having an objective and the drive necessary to get there will take you far, but convincing yourself that you can get there entirely alone can be deceiving. While there are roads in life that are certainly best tread independently, finding community—as I’ve learned in my time at Stevens—can provide us with the support network we need to continue to grow as we aspire towards our goals. Seek out these communities wherever it is that you go after graduation, even if it’s as simple as a recreational sports league or a volunteer organization. Alternatively, build that community where you are — you have the independence, energy, and freedom to do this! More importantly, as Stevens students, let’s collectively maintain the connections we made here to continue to engage and uplift each other as we advance towards this new frontier.
Thank you, Stevens Class of 2026, for four fantastic years. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, and hope to cross paths with many of you in the near future!
