As I approach graduation in May, I have done a lot of thinking about how best to spend the time I have left at Mississippi State University. I have thought so much about it, in fact, that I have created a graduation bucket list.
Now, I know that bucket lists are traditionally lists of experiences one wants to have before dying, and while I do not plan on dying anytime soon, this is the end of an era for me. Come May, I will no longer be an undergraduate just trying to scrape together enough credits for a degree.
Instead, I will be a graduate, an alumnus and an official adult. It is quite scary to think about. But graduation is not here yet, so while I still have time here in Starkville, I plan to make it count. It turns out there are quite a few things left to experience here that I had not considered yet.
I asked around to get ideas of what things other seniors and recent graduates have valued most in their time here.
Jadyn Anthony graduated in December 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. In our conversation, she spoke fondly of attending football games in the past and her regret of never participating in Bulldog Bash. Her favorite part of studying in Starkville, though, was the proximity to and availability of various art forms.
“Do things like go to a Lyceum Series show you are interested in,” said Anthony. “Go to the District Arts Festival. Try to catch a senior recital or performance by the wind ensemble. Go to an open mic hosted by ‘The Streetcar.’ Go to a play produced by MSU Theatre.”
Luci Leffler is a senior studying human development and family science. She shared her “bittersweet” feelings about this final year at MSU, speaking about feeling a bit lost when she first got here and confused about what precisely she wanted to do with her time. Eventually, though, she found her place, which, unlike Anthony, was not at a football game.
“I just can not do it in Mississippi weather and I never will again,” Leffler said.
Instead, she found her happy place at the Chapel of Memories.
“It was a place I could find comfort in when I was at my lowest, and I still think of it very fondly,” Leffler said.
Addie Miles is a senior studying supply chain logistics and marketing. Miles mentioned how intentional she is trying to be during her last year here, “trying to soak everything in.”
“My friends and I have made a bucket list, too, for our last semester,” Miles said. “Some of those things include going to some restaurants we have not been to, like Two Brothers. Go to a tennis match and a softball game. Get our Tradition Keeper medals. Going on a big trip for Spring Break. Walk into the buildings we have not been in around campus. Take a Chapel nap.”
Alijah Jones is a senior studying political science. Similar to the others, he also has mixed feelings about leaving Mississippi State.
“There is a mix of excitement for what lies ahead and a tinge of sadness in leaving a place that has truly become home,” Jones said.
What are the things he is bummed to leave behind? The International Fiesta is one.
“The International Fiesta is my homecoming,” Jones said.
He also shared an affinity for MSU chocolate milk and Mexican grocery story Tienda Hispana Las Aguilar.
With all of these pieces of Starkville, MSU and student love swirling around, I refined my own list. This list is ever-growing and changes as I learn about new things, as it seems to be the nature of my life, but here are the current entries:
- Visit Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge
- Eat cheese fries at Bin 612
- Roller skate at Skate Odyssey
- Paint a plate with friends at Pail of Paint
- Try True REST Float Spa
- Line dance at Rick’s
- Eat at Spotlight Cafe
- Visit Rebound Trampoline Park in Columbus
Let this list be an inspiration. Whether your list would have the same entries or not, make one anyway. Do not let your time here pass you by because you think you will always have tomorrow; eventually, the tomorrows run out.