Spring Break
Column: Hot Off The Press
Final Edition
Brenna McCabe
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
04/29/09 - When I was a freshman in high school, I'd never gotten below a B+ in any subject and I was convinced I was within reach of the famous valedictorian speech. I know that sounds pretentious, but to be honest, I cared more about the chance to make a speech than getting good grades, dreaming about what an honor it would be to be able to say something important.
Then 16-year-old Brenna met high school chemistry and the dream was lost, along with the interest in being Dr. McCabe (though I still feel that I'm living my life like an episode of "Scrubs" - Cigar style.) Sorry mom (Marion) and dad (Francis P.) - I know you're still cringing from all that money you spent to send me to "biology camp" in summer of '02. I promise I'll make up for it someday.
Anyway, when I reached the final days of high school and graduation, I was mostly disappointed for two reasons: 1) I was not valedictorian, therefore I could not make that wild speech which would, of course, make people both laugh and cry, think and sigh, and probably die a little inside, and 2) I was nervous about going to college knowing just a few seniors coming with me.
But I was mostly sad about the speech.
I realized later that this was a blessing for several reasons, all stemming from two things I learned about myself in college: public speaking makes me moderately nauseous, and URI, though a large school, is much like Rhode Island: small and full of fun people who agree driving more than 40 minutes is a road trip.
Four years later, Cigar production manager and senior Andrew Blais is making that precious senior commencement speech, and I have this designated empty space for my last column - my own version of the graduation speech I've always wanted to make. Except I can write things out the way I want and my stomach's not turning trying NOT to picture people naked (I'd like to have a chat with whomever came up with THAT brilliant piece of advice.)
I'm not going to give the straight "here's what I learned, take heed of this" speech because that's just not my style.
Then 16-year-old Brenna met high school chemistry and the dream was lost, along with the interest in being Dr. McCabe (though I still feel that I'm living my life like an episode of "Scrubs" - Cigar style.) Sorry mom (Marion) and dad (Francis P.) - I know you're still cringing from all that money you spent to send me to "biology camp" in summer of '02. I promise I'll make up for it someday.
Anyway, when I reached the final days of high school and graduation, I was mostly disappointed for two reasons: 1) I was not valedictorian, therefore I could not make that wild speech which would, of course, make people both laugh and cry, think and sigh, and probably die a little inside, and 2) I was nervous about going to college knowing just a few seniors coming with me.
But I was mostly sad about the speech.
I realized later that this was a blessing for several reasons, all stemming from two things I learned about myself in college: public speaking makes me moderately nauseous, and URI, though a large school, is much like Rhode Island: small and full of fun people who agree driving more than 40 minutes is a road trip.
Four years later, Cigar production manager and senior Andrew Blais is making that precious senior commencement speech, and I have this designated empty space for my last column - my own version of the graduation speech I've always wanted to make. Except I can write things out the way I want and my stomach's not turning trying NOT to picture people naked (I'd like to have a chat with whomever came up with THAT brilliant piece of advice.)
I'm not going to give the straight "here's what I learned, take heed of this" speech because that's just not my style.
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