Graduation Day (Day 1: A Preamble)

On Friday, August 1, 2009, I walked out of my final presentation for my internship course at Georgia State University. But this wasn't just the end to another grueling college course. It was the final class and last Final of my undergraduate career. I left the 10th floor room of the One Park Place building on Georgia State's downtown Atlanta main campus, reorganized my books and papers before going down the elevator to the first floor, and then casually walked outside into the hot Georgia Summer sun a college graduate. Of course, it wasn't official yet, as professors had a few weeks to get grades together and to have them input into the system, but for all purposes, I had finished.

It was an ending to an incredibly hectic day. Due to my own procrastination, I had stayed up all night long working on my final presentation and still hadn't finished. So, I went to the campus library an hour before class to wrap up everything and print out the term papers I had written for the final project on my summer internship with MF'Ntertainment (http://www.myspace.com/gaimezworld). I was late to class, but I managed to give a killer presentation none-the-less.

I had some last minute business to take care of, so I didn't leave campus immediately. I basked in the summer sun as I walked back towards the GSU Student Recreation Center on the other side of campus. I let it wrap all around me like a damn Snuggie as I made my way through Downtown Atlanta, passing citizens and GSU students alike as I meandered down the street, towards General Classroom Building (GCB), into the main library quad, past the University Center, and then finally to the Rec Center.

That's one thing about the GSU campus. It's in the heart of Downtown Atlanta, and while there is a campus epicenter which houses an assortment of buildings like General Classroom Building, Sparks Hall, and the Library, the majority of the campus is actually spread out over downtown. For Instance, the One Park Place building is across the street from a convenient store, shoe repair, and a non-campus bookstore on one side, and across from urban clothing and electronics stores, and pawn and barber shops another side. It is because of this intermingling of GSU and non-GSU buildings that helps make the GSU campus so uniquely different from other four-year institutions. While you can usually figure out who the students are roaming downtown streets, sometimes you can't.

Anyway, so I went to Rec Center to clean out my locker and to clear up an erroneous charge on my account for returning a rented towel 5 minutes before the Center closed one day. And from there, I walked through campus to the Five Points train station to go home, instead of just hopping on the train at the GSU station up the road. I made sure to take a long look around as I walked through the same way I came. This was no longer my school. In just one day, it had become my alma mater. Funny how that happens.