Dear UH, thanks for the memories

DEAR UH, THANKS FOR THE

MEMORIES By Jiselle Santos

Photo by Jiselle Santos

Alot of graduating seniors are in the same position as me, reflecting back on their years at their respective universities and thinking about what the future holds for them. We’re completing a milestone, but with that milestone, hardships and accomplishments came with it.

To my time here at UH, I’m thankful for the opportunities and experiences that allowed me to grow, but it is my time to say goodbye.

Thank you for the obstacles

It may have included living on campus and still managing to get to class late, or racing to your cars after class before the afternoon rush hour hits to get back home trying to beat the traffic.

Maybe it might have been not getting the grade you wanted on the exam you studied for, pulling an all-nighter, changing majors (for me it was multiple times).

The long breaks between classes for that one semester, do you nap or study at the library, The Nook, Cougar Grounds, the study room on the fifth floor of CBB?

Or trying to survive a natural disaster from each semester, it could be a hurricane, a winter storm, flash floods, the pipe-burst on I-10 causing a water outage, and now the coronavirus pandemic.

Midterms, finals, basically any exam — you gone through it.

Then having to take tests at the CASA testing centers, making sure to book the correct testing center for the exams and eventually show up to fail the exam.

As for that one class you had in Garrison, there was definitely a workout or two trying to run to that class.

Thank you for the relationships.

I’m sure many of us remember our first day at UH. Excited to step into the classrooms after getting accustomed to the University after orientation, ready to join clubs and organizations, and hoping to make new friends.

Some of us may have had the

same friends from high school that came to UH with us, but we made a friend or two while in classes. Even that one person you sat next to all semester, you chatted with them in class but didn’t see them after that.

By joining organizations, you meet friends that have the same interests and skills as you and eventually make them life-long friends.

Thank you for the traditions

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting many of my senior year plans, it made me realize that I’m quite grateful to have experienced some type of normalcy on the campus such as the football and basketball games.

Then to the $1 Shasta’s ice cream that followed from winning those games.

To the late nights at Moody Dining Halls and going to the Cullen Fountains with friends, this is to the traditions we made with each other.

Coffee, we’ve all had it, don’t lie. Your preferences are Starbucks either at Melcher Hall, the Student Center, the Satellite, The Nook or Cougar Grounds.

Enjoying the free perks that come with our student IDs such as going to the Houston Zoo and maybe even the Museum of Fine Arts.

However, the traditions we participated in like the generations before us, the experiences we made for ourselves, and the hardships we faced gave us this feeling of community with our peers and UH.