Senior Reflection

I’m currently sitting in my favorite study spot in the library, putting the finishing touches on my very last Government paper, waiting for my best friend of three years to come join me to “study” aka gossip about formals, bequests, and all the weirdness of senior year ending. Just recently, the finality of senior year started to hit. It was like all of the 14s were able to function normally until Green Key ended, and then it was too real to ignore anymore. We started having all of our lasts – last meetings, last formals, last classes, last finals – and suddenly it was real: We are graduating.

Yesterday, I had one of my lasts – my last volleyball bequest. For those of you who are unaware what bequests are, they are an excuse for seniors to pass along small pieces of history and various items acquired (stolen?) from across their four years. Almost every organization at Dartmouth has them, and it’s a great way to keep a legacy going while adding a piece of your own experience as well.

The volleyball team has bequests every spring, with each senior passing along her own piece of DVB history. Some of my bequests have a long lineage, like a poster first bequested by a pair of ‘05s or a hat that goes back to the ‘07s. Since our team is larger than usual this year, most of the things I gave away were mine, starting my own line of things that will hopefully make there way to the future ‘20s and ‘25s of DVB (scary thought).

The whole point of me writing about bequests is this. When I was going through all my stuff, trying to figure out what to give to whom, I realized just how well I know my teammates. Most things were easy, like a purple velvet dance leotard that screamed Alli Brady for no reason. Or all the various middle bequests that I was happy to pass along to my strong middles in the 16s and 17s class. But all in all, it made me so proud to be part of a team with so many amazing girls – both in teams past and right now. Passing along items given to me from the ‘11s and ‘12s filled me with pride, to tell their stories and share a little bit of how amazing they were. I felt so blessed to have been allowed the opportunity to meet so many amazing women, to have had them impact my life, and to have made even a small impact on the underclassmen.

Obviously Dartmouth Volleyball has meant more to me that just posters and hats and old t-shirts, but if I were to write that story it would be a novel. Volleyball has been in my life for longer than almost anything else, and has taught me so many lessons. Like the fact that I put writing this blog into my calendar almost six months ago when Jose first blitzed it out so that I remembered to write it. Although that may not seem directly related to volleyball, it is related to the lessons I’ve learned and how it’s changed who I am as a person.

I can’t say how volleyball the sport will be involved in my life in years to come, although I do hope to continue playing and maybe coach club one day. But what I can say for certain is this: the relationship, lessons, and memories I created during my years, as a Dartmouth Volleyball Player will continue to be with me forever. From the day that AM called me to give me my offer to the very last point I scored to end a win against Columbia (Thanks again for setting me Stacey….) there have been so many ups and downs, but its been an amazing journey. I couldn’t be more thankful to AM, Heather, Erin, Jose, Katie Hirsch, Andi, and Dee for all their advice, support, and continued belief in me as a player and a person.

So from a very sentimental Daughter of Dartmouth, thanks and I love you all.

PTD DVB J