By Madison Overmier
TAMPA, Fla. — As two senior students at The University of Tampa prepared for their commencement ceremony on May 10, psychology major Charlotte Meyer and allied health major Averi Dodge reflected on their time at UTampa and prepared for their futures.
They are among the 2,384 undergraduate students graduating this spring for the 160th commencement ceremony, according to UTampa’s website.
One of the final things these two friends wanted to experience was walking around campus and revisiting all their favorite spots where they spent time.
Pulling into the Rick Thomas Parking Garage, Meyer and Dodge’s faces dropped as they realized this would be one of their last times on campus.
Meyer and Dodge have been friends since the moment they arrived at UTampa. They were neighbors in Austin Hall, but that is not how they ended up meeting one another. Both Meyer’s roommate and Dodge’s roommate were friends with each other and introduced the two of them, and they have been friends ever since.
They started this experience together and are now ending it together.
Meyer and Dodge have been on an emotional roller coaster these past few weeks, as they have been reflecting on their last three years of college and realized how much their lives will be changing.
Meyer will be going back home to work as a psychometrician at a neuropsychologist’s office in preparation to apply for graduate school and obtain her Ph.D. Dodge will be attending graduate school at the University of St. Augustine to study occupational therapy.
On their walk through campus, one spot that they wanted to visit was Plant Hall, the historic building where they both had most of their classes. They sat down in the main lobby and looked around, remembering the first time they saw this building years ago when they attended a campus tour.
When asked how they felt about graduation, Dodge admitted that she was very emotional and sad as the days continued approaching, and Meyer said she had many different emotions and feelings about it.
“It’s bittersweet, but it makes me feel like all the hard work is actually for something,” said Meyer.
They spent time reflecting on living on campus, and especially the late nights they spent together in a study room. They commented on how the little things like that could easily be taken for granted.
As they left Plant Hall and headed toward Plant Park, they made sure to soak in all the memories they made.
Over the past few weeks, they have been partaking in graduation traditions on campus. They both participated in the “minaret climbs,” picked up graduation merchandise from the school, decorated their caps, and even handed out goodie bags with chips, candy, and Gatorade to the people currently living in their old rooms.
“The girls were super sweet about it, they said, ‘You didn’t have to do this,’ and we said ‘Yeah, of course,’” said Dodge.
The next spot they wanted to visit was the dorms where they lived. During their freshman year, they lived in Austin Hall, while their sophomore year was spent in the Palm Apartments.
They walked into the elevator, pressing the button for the fifth floor, remembering the exact room they lived in. Looking at the number outside their old door for the last time made them emotional. They remembered all the memories they made in that one school year –– all the late-night cooking, movie watching, gathering with friends, and holiday parties made it even more real.
The final spot they wanted to visit was the study area outside of the Starbucks in the Daly Innovation and Collaboration Building, where they spent most of their time.
At the end of their final campus tour, when asked for advice they would give to their younger selves during freshman year, they had sentimental responses.
Meyer said she would tell herself to get involved with her department as early as possible.
“Talk to your professors about what they did post-grad and get as many stories of what they did after graduation so you can form what you want to do early,” said Meyer.
Dodge said she would tell her younger self to join more clubs since college was the place to become a whole new person, the place where nobody knew her.
“Be the person you want to be,” said Dodge. “You have a fresh start, so if you want to go out and be an extrovert, go out and do it. Talk to as many people as you can, and get close with your professors.”
As they walked back to their car and reality set in for them, they realized how grateful they were for UTampa and all of the memories they had made here.
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Thumbnail image caption: Averi Dodge (left) and Charlotte Meyer (right) posing together for a photo inside Plant Hall. Photo courtesy of Madison Overmier.