BY LEXI THOMAN
alexandria.thoman@gmail.com
Here we are again, at the end of another academic semester. In many ways, it is had to believe that this is my last. So many people have touched my life over my four years at Ole Miss -— friends, acquaintances, classmates and coworkers; the list goes on and on.
But for most seniors who are at the finish line of their undergraduate education, it is easy to forget the little things, like saying, “Thank you,” to those who deserve it.
At the Phi Beta Kappa induction ceremony, the keynote speaker and recently retired Dr. Colby Kullman emphasized this point to the audience gathered in the Paris-Yates Chapel. He said that throughout his long career in academia as an esteemed professor of English, he wrote countless letters of recommendation for his students. But it was all too often, he said, that the students would fail to extend a simple “thank you” after the fact and let him know how the interview, job or graduate school application went.
Dr. Kullman’s words left an impression on me because I, too, am guilty. Out of all of the people who have impacted my life at Ole Miss, there are certain professors and advisers who deserve special recognition for all that they have done for me, whether it is writing letters of recommendation, offering academic and career advice, or just providing general counsel. Although in most cases I have been diligent about thanking my professors and telling hem how an application or interview turned out, I know that it is more than likely that a few have fallen though the cracks.
As students, we are in control of our own futures. But without the mentorship and guidance of our professors and advisers, most of us would not be as successful as we are today. Sometimes the smallest comment or slightest nudge in the right direction is all it takes to make a huge difference.
So instead of writing the typical farewell column that focuses on my own academic career at Ole Miss or my two years on staff as an opinion columnist for The Daily Mississippian, I leave you all with this final message: never forget to say, “Thank you.” A quick email or stop in their office is all it takes to leave a lasting impression and set you apart from the thousands of other graduates in the Class of 2013. Humility may be a fading art in our generation, but no one should be above giving thanks to those who deserve it.
Finally, thank you, my Ole Miss family, for all that you have given me in the past four years. Even as I prepare to move hundreds of miles away for my next step in life, I know that a part of my heart will always be in Oxford.
Lexi Thoman is a senior international studies and Spanish double-major from St. Louis, Mo.
