“Part of the Journey Is the End…”
–Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, Avengers Endgame (2019)
You have embarked upon a great journey to earn your college degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)>
This class, English 101: Composition I, was the beginning of that long journey. I hope I have offered you some wisdom and support to help you make your way.
I won’t kid you, though, it’s going to be a long, tough road. No quest is ever easy. You’re going to travel far and you’re going to get worn out. Sometimes it will feel like you are making good progress toward your goals, but sometimes it will feel like you aren’t making any progress at all. Sometimes you will feel excited and energized by your journey. Sometimes you will feel tired or frustrated or discouraged. As you travel, you will probably face a variety of detours and obstacles and even setbacks. And it’s possible that, at some point, the whole journey might just feel too hard, maybe even a little impossible. On the worst days, things may grow dark, and it will be hard to find the path forward, and you may stumble and lose your way.
That’s why I had you write a magical poem. Because writing, especially poetry, is magic. Writing can helps us imagine a world that is different, and better, than this one.
Display Your Poem
Hang the poem somewhere that you will see it. It’s meant to be a reminder of who you are, what matters to you, and the great things you can accomplish, including writing a magical poem.
And that’s why I want you to post your poem where you can look at it every day. The poem will be your magical tome to help you get to the end of your college journey. It’s meant to be a reminder of who you are, what matters to you most, and all the great things you are meant to accomplish. Whenever you feel yourself losing your way, just re-read your poem. It has the best of you in it: Your strengths. Your values. Your hopes and dreams. The poem is magic because you are in it, and, as the greatest stories always teach us, all the magic we need is already inside us. The thing that makes you a great student and a great person is your own desire to learn, to grow, and to become the best version of yourself. The poem is a guide to all that magic. It will lead you to your destination.
This poem is a reminder that you have a story to tell of how you completed a long journey and earned your college degree. That’s a good story, and you have the power to write it. Keep telling yourself, “I won’t stop until I reach the end. I’ll just keep going, no matter what. I can do it.” I truly believe that each of you has the power to reach the end of the journey successfully. The magic of this poem is that it will remind you of the destination you were meant to reach: You will earn your IUP degree. You will get there. You are meant to get there…
Because part of the journey is the end.