Dear M21,
Sometimes, our time at Minerva feels like a fever dream — a whirlwind of visa applications, pdf articles, 10:01s, coffee shops, and a blur of countries with barely time to process it all. But here we are. In the period of our lives we had talked about, dreamt about — experiencing moments of stability while entirely still figuring things out. But can I just say, there is nothing that makes me happier than to see Minervans thriving. Like that one time… You called me, while we were thousands of miles apart, and told me you had gotten into the grad school of your dreams. I was over the moon for you — I didn’t know I could feel so much second-hand happiness. There were so many late nights we talked about our goals, our fears, and how we were going to make it through the next 3 assignments. And look at you now. I was on the Subway late on Tuesday night, scrolling LinkedIn after exhausting my other social platforms, when I saw an update that you had just started law school. Though we hadn’t talked since graduation, I almost cried a few happy tears. I knew how hard you had worked for this — navigating the uncharted path, studying for the LSAT, and sacrificing so much to make your aspirations a reality. I took the elevator to the 22nd floor — you showed me around your new apartment building, in a brand-new high-rise. How your favorite part is the kitchen appliances you could never invest in while moving every 4 months. I remember you used to cook the most delicious food in the most dire of kitchen circumstances. I’m so glad your cooking finally gets the environment it deserves. You told me you got promoted at your corporate job and I couldn’t hid my enthusiasm, non-stop texting you in ALL CAPS. (Yes, we sold our souls to corporate America, but you better believe we’re going to make the most of it.) Our first year, we weren’t even sure if it was possible for us to get into big tech since we had no precedent to follow. Now we are that precedent. You told me you were going to be in New York for a week, that we should catch up. We met on a rainy evening in Soho, the conversation feeling like we were picking up right where we left off a year ago. You told me about the big-time finance job you turned down and the new startup you’re building these days. For a moment, I was back in the dim hallways of 1412 and the bus rides in India, when we used to daydream about our big girl jobs. I took a train from Penn station to come visit your city. You waited near the bus stop to greet me — so warmly and so sincerely. You paid for my dinner saying I was the guest, even though I insisted I should be paying. We walked around the city and you showed me your routine and the places you’ve grown to love. I loved seeing you like this. Sometimes I think back to where all of this started — A few outwardly-insignificant buildings in San Francisco. A sunset at Ocean Beach, a blind feast. Back when we were so young, naïve, and bright-eyed. We took the world in stride — problems, possibilities and all — our paths would be what we made of them. And sometimes, maybe way more often than I’d like to admit, I scroll back through the rolodex of photos — of when we’d go to Bob’s Donuts in SF or that time we went to karaoke in Seoul, danced under the sparking lights in rural town in India, biked around gloomy Berlin, and took that trip to the ocean in Buenos Aires — a few weeks before the pandemic changed everything. I’m glad you’re still in my life. Maybe not as frequently, but there nonetheless. I can’t wait to continue seeing our journeys unfold — I’m looking forward to the day you call me to tell me about your new start-up, to invite me to your art exhibition, or upcoming concert. To our next yearly catch-up where things will feel just as we left them — maybe with a little more maturity, perspective, and healthy skepticism. To the moment we finally get to reunite after life threw a few too many curveballs our way. To watching you on the news talk about the scientific discovery you made or the new eclectic community you pioneered (because that is totally something you would do.) To meeting your significant other and flying half-way around the world to make a wedding toast. To taking a trip back to one of the cities we loved, eating at our favorite restaurant, and reminiscing about our silly shenanigans. But until then, promise me you’ll take care of yourself. I’ll see you when I see you.
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About MeThanks for visiting my blog! My name is Megan, I work in Marketing and I graduated as part of Minerva's class of 2021. Enjoy a collage of reflections, poetry, and late-night thoughts. Archives
October 2023
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