Now begins the season of saying “yes” for seniors. With fewer than 100 days left before the class of 2025 graduates, it is a sentimental time for seniors to cherish the rest of the time they have left at Villanova.
The celebrations (or mourning, whatever your persuasion may be) commenced on Feb. 5: the official countdown of 100 days left until graduation. Villanova’s Campus Activities Team (CAT) threw a 100 Days Celebration in the O’Dea Longue. With free hors d’oeuvres, beverages and more, this event kicked off what was a lively week for seniors. Senior Jane Maleady commented on her experience at the CAT Pub Series event.
“I loved the CAT event,” Maleady said. “It had great food and drinks and I had a great time with my friends. It was especially nice because it was free.”
The festivities continued on the next day at the “100 Days ‘Til Graduation Celebration” at Ardmore Music Hall. Dolled up in dresses and suits, seniors braved the frigid cold to celebrate a fun night out on the town.
Very often, formal events at Villanova are concentrated among different clubs, organizations or Greek life. But compared to these typical formals, this event included seniors from every corner of campus. The event brought seniors together from all of campus to connect with each other for a night of fun.
“It was a lot of fun to see all of my classmates in one place,” senior Katie Stump said. “I was among my roommates, classmates and even friends from freshman year. It made it a really sentimental event for me.”
In addition to these formal events, other seniors created their own celebrations that uniquely reflected their own interests and friendships. Senior Nate Difulvio shared one way he commemorated the 100-day countdown.
“I went off campus for a traditional English tea ceremony with a couple of my English grad student friends from the Writing Center,” Difulvio said. “We went to ‘A Taste of Britain’ in Radnor. It was very quaint, but very fun especially since this was the morning after 100 days at Ardmore Music Hall.”
Regardless of how one may have celebrated, there is a consensus among seniors that the next coming weeks are special. With so little time left in our Villanova careers, every moment counts. This fact has prompted a realization for many students, including senior Lauren Klein.
“Quantifying how many days we have left at Villanova makes me more conscious of how I want to spend my time left on campus,” Klein said. “I plan to make more time for my friends, especially those who will live so far from me postgrad. In addition to cherishing time with friends, I am going to continue working hard in my classes as this is my last time being a student.”
Senior Anna Hughes shared similar sentiments, explaining how she wants to make the most of her time left at Villanova.
“One hundred days of saying yes, and going to things, and getting the last of my Villanova experiences,” Hughes said. “Carving out time to spend time with my friends and especially soaking in the last of my free stuff from my tuition.”
The clock is ticking, class of 2025. Cherish your last tailgate at Wells Fargo. Go to all of the trivia nights at the Grog and mug nights at Kelly’s Taproom. Whoever said the people make the place was onto something. So most importantly, no matter how you decide to spend the next 90 or so days left until graduation, hold your friends tight.
