Dear Classmates,

This past semester has been interesting to say the least, but looking back at the tough weeks we all encountered I am proud of our class and our finished products. I think this is where I want to focus my attention- the struggle that led us to the end. To sugar coat our experience in senior seminar would allow us to look past the tough spots we all encountered. Maybe I am being too general here, but at some point I assume we were all ready to throw up our hands. We started off with difficult material that was completely different from anything we had read in the past. The abstract language, new ideas, and dense writing forced us to slow down and critically addresses the questions that were bring brought about by the material. It would have been easy to brush these concerns to the side, and keep pressing forward without a clear idea of how the argument was being constructed. If we were to overlook our questions or our concerns about the material, we would have failed to grasp the ideas. At the time, I was so frustrated. I didn’t have much to say in class, because when reviewing what I read I was never sure what I understood about it. But my point is not to show the distraught, but how the struggle led to me fully understanding the material and introducing me to a new way of looking at philosophy. I have referred to D and G’s ideas about the concept’s uniqueness to philosophy, philosophy’s comparison to art and science, and the structure of each of these formations of thought many times. It altered the way I viewed our field of study, and I am glad we slowly pressed through till the end.
I think our struggle with D and G reiterates the importance of perseverance. If this semester would have been easy, I don’t think I would appreciate the diploma I (hopefully) will be receiving in two weeks. The question of whether I can make it to the end or if I want to make it to the end has been debatable, but now being close to finished I appreciate that this semester has been fight. As we approach the real world I think these little fights will be a reoccurrence, and we may not always have the known reward waiting at the end of it all. But it is important to remember these times, and know that the hard work at some point does pay off whether or not we recognize it. Anyway, I am proud to be graduating with an intelligent group of students that have worked for our diplomas. Congratulations! Thank you Dr. J for making this semester memorable and believing in us these past four years.

Best of luck,
Courtney Martin