[Courtesy of The Fordham Ram]

I’ve realized in all my articles I’ve ever written for the Ram, I’ve never once formally introduced myself. Hi, I’m Maddie and I’m a senior at Fordham University.

For those of you who do not know me, don’t worry, hopefully by the end of this you’ll be able to piece together the basics of who I am. Even though this seems like it comes at a bad time, since this is the last From the Desk I’ll ever write. Better late than never, I suppose.

I’m about two weeks into my senior year, already feeling like it’s been six months and I’m on my way out the door. Taking an Introduction to Astronomy class your senior year will do that to you. Anyway, looking back on my time here, not just at the Ram, but at Fordham, has been a trip. In fact, I’ve taken away two key things. 

Number one, I have much shorter hair than when I came to Fordham. I mean seriously, I barely recognize myself sometimes when I see photos of 19-year-old me. I swear my hair just refuses to stay long when I’m at Fordham. And yes, I said 19-year-old me because as I like to shove down everyone’s throats, I was a transfer.

Number two, I actually involve myself in stuff now. Everyone at Fordham has the esteemed pleasure of not knowing me in high school, but I was a stereotypical wallflower. 

But don’t be quick to label me a loser. I could never be that. I had a great group of friends in high school, but I never really did anything. I just floated through my high school years and was just another face in my large graduating class.

When I came to Fordham, I was essentially starting from scratch. I didn’t know anyone at Rose Hill and honestly, I thought I was originally destined to fail. I quickly had to shake myself out of that mindset. What could’ve been a continuation of blending aimlessly into the crowd had to instead be something new. I knew I wanted to pave a different path for myself.

So I signed up for things like the Ram. It was actually the first organization I signed up for on campus after being too scared to join the newspaper at my old college. I was encouraged by former Sports Editor Alex Wolz to go to weekly meetings and also join other things like WFUV Sports.

I was not a public speaker. I was a girl that simply liked tweeting and talking about sports and had no direction when it came to what I wanted to do with a journalism degree. But I knew I had to make myself uncomfortable. People get so wrapped up in living comfortably that they remain stagnant. They never change. 

I knew that college is one of the last formative times you can comfortably change. You’re still wrapped in a bubble from society, so if you fail, at least you failed without any major consequences.

So I started writing. And I wrote, and wrote and wrote. I realized at that point how much I loved it. Whether it be about sports, or my opinions or the music I liked, I just wanted to share it through writing, because my wallflower brain found it more comfortable than talking.

I started putting myself out there with other people, becoming best friends with my random roommate and then meeting all of her friends that welcomed me with open arms. I actually made friends with people at the radio station — who make up some of the best people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. And then I met people at the Ram, and I found people that shared the same love for writing I did. Each and every relationship is so special to me that it caused me to crawl out of my shell. 

So as I sit here writing this, I finally feel comfortable saying that I love the legacy I’m leaving behind. A legacy doesn’t have to be huge. I mean, I certainly didn’t win a national championship or make some revolutionary study that changed the course of history. 

Because truly, what is a legacy? A legacy is, according to the Oxford Dictionary, “the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.” So for me, my legacy is the articles I wrote way past deadlines for the Ram, the jokes I would make on air at WFUV, the tours I would give as a guide and the memories I made with people all across the Fordham community. That’s what will get remembered at the end of the day. Not me, but what I did and shared.

There are times where I let myself fall back into the comfortability of being a wallflower. Sticking to the outsides of rooms and remaining quiet. But hey, I still have a lifetime ahead of me to keep growing and changing, and by then, I’ll be the best social butterfly you’ve ever seen.