I am graduating in less than a week, and let me say, I am scared, yet hopeful. Scared because , what am I going to do without homework? What am I going to do without late night studying, and scrambling to finish a paper the night before it's due? What am I going to do with me not having to wake up bleary eyed after only 3 hours of sleep? I don't know. There will be a new struggle hopefully, one that will make me grow even more than my 4, uh I mean 5 years at La Verne. Besides the education that I have received, I have learned more about myself in my time at LV than anywhere else. What I can withstand, both physical and mental, is now something that I can measure. My experiences here have made me laugh, they've made me cry, and they've made me angry. From my first job at the campus center, my teammates who have become brothers on the football team, the many people I have met and become friends with, including the few forgettable but definitely not regrettable experiences as well. During my years at La Verne, there was a time when I thought to myself, "why am I here?" Now that has turned to, "Thank God I didn't leave." That opinion of course is different to everyone who has walked through the walkways, and after one of the most intimate conversations I've ever had, with someone who I am indebted to for giving me a part of my life back, I realize how lucky and blessed I am to have found a portion of my path in La Verne. I will always look back on my time as an undergraduate at the University of La Verne as an experience that transcends my time. It was a time of growth, trial, error, love, and constant learning. With all of this, I was never alone. My parents always supported me, and although we are a humble 3 person family (we have more pets than people in our house) that closeness was my fuel and my energy source during my time. My friends, or actually, my brothers. Brandon (Tomka), Domo, Kyle (Bissell), Wilson, Rydell, Izzy, Ryan, Nick, and Tab. Thank you. In both victory and defeat, you guys were there for me. We've jammed together, we've traveled together, we've lost together, we've won a championship together. All of that seems like a metaphor for something bigger, but for now, I will say it is a microcosm of what my life as a college student has been. I thank my teachers, especially those who pushed me to thrive, specifically, Maia Kinsinger. I thank the campus staff that I have had the privilege to meet and interact with over these years. I thank God for placing all these people and for placing photography in my life. By now many of you know what photography does for me. It's one of the few things that i do accept being defined by.
Anyways, I have a final in 9 hours. So with that said, goodnight, and once again, thank you.
Christopher Mora - ULV Class of 2014
