After 4 years as an undergraduate student at John Carroll and 3 academic years as a Founding Father member of Beta Theta Pi, this chapter of our lives is officially over. They say that letters are for a lifetime and I couldn't agree more especially after these past three weeks. On May 7th, the colony celebrated the achievements of my fellow senior members over a BBQ at the home of our Colony Counselor, Ric Eickhoff. We all had a great time playing cornhole and Frisbee and enjoyed plenty of delicious food. Following the games and meal, the entire active brotherhood and initiated advisors took part in the Senior Send-Off ceremony which triggered many emotions; it was a great way for the seniors to lend a farewell to their fellow brothers and leave them each with a personal message or lifelong advice. The final stanzas of the Bridge Builder poem were revealed to each of us as a nice way to tie our Beta experience together and exemplify the lifelong nature of this organization. After taking some senior pictures, the group assembled to be surprised by a 45-minute long picture video that showcased each of us seniors and our lives from birth to present. It was absolutely amazing; myself and the other seniors are grateful to have this lifelong memoir.
As finals finished up, 8 of the 10 Beta seniors ventured to Put-In-Bay, an island in Lake Erie where we spent the weekend celebrating and enjoying the completion of our collegiate undergraduate careers here at Carroll, with about 2/3 of the graduating class. We spent the weekend in our privately-rented chalet and toured the island via golf cart and mopeds. We all had a fantastic time and made memories that will last forever. Following Put-In-Bay, many of the other seniors and I took part in other Senior Week activities that the University sponsored for the graduating class. We attended Casino Night, sponsored by Alumni Relations, and many of the brothers took home some great prizes. The Senior Celebration on the Goodtime III was an awesome evening dinner cruise that toured the Cuyahoga River and ventured out into Lake Erie where we continued to dance under the stars. As Brother Bradish constantly reminded us, "You can't have a bad time on the Goodtime!" Friday evening, we made our way downtown to the Indians vs. Reds game as we patiently awaited the arrival of our parents Saturday morning. Andrew Kolupski, Jeff Bradish, and I hosted our families, friends, brothers, and neighbors to a delicious BBQ Saturday afternoon at our home prior to the Baccalaureate Mass at Gesu. The Mass was absolutely stunning, from the congregation to the flowers, and even the specially-composed recessional hymn by Brother Ehrbar. Later that evening we relived our college night scene with our parents in Coventry, only to be greeted by the alarm clock after only about 4 hours of sleep Sunday morning for Commencement on the Quad!
As I mentioned before, the letters we wear truly are for a lifetime. Although they each have their own hidden meaning, they mean so much more to each and every one of us. The memories we've made over the past 3 years and especially in the past 3 weeks have only added to their individual value and meaning to each of us.
On behalf of the graduating Senior Class, I would like to thank all of the brothers for an amazing experience!
Reflection by Kyle M. Sobh '10
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