Senior year is bittersweet. There’s no denying it. The clichés that you hear about from your parents and recent alumni finally become real as you sit down and realize that four weeks left will turn into three weeks, then three weeks will turn into two weeks, and before you know it, it’s actually over. While most of us are empathetic to the idea of change and life’s transitions, there will always be a hint of sadness as the idea of Happy Valley slowly slips out of reach. The events that we partake in at Penn State are a reminder of our time spent here, and living through football games — whether fall or spring — is one of those. The time invested will forever last as fantastic memories with one of the best parts of that devoted time being the participation in the wondrous weekend of Blue and White.

For any true Penn Stater, it’s hard to think of an emotion that closely resembles the feeling of waking up on the Saturday of Blue and White weekend. It’s an amazing rush of ecstasy that lingers in your body for the duration of the whole day that has been building up since the beginning of the week. Blue and White is one of the only times during the school year when I want to shoot out of bed and get my day started. Being with friends and merrily navigating through State College’s wild stampede of fans will always hold a special place in my heart.

As a freshman, everything in reference to time seems like an anomaly. When I first experienced my first Blue and White weekend, it was a thrilling day that I knew was coming back next year. As the weekend came to a close, there really was no feeling of panic because everything was so fresh, but I also knew that it was coming back the next year. Taking comfort in the fact time was on my side is one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. I went back home that summer knowing that the regularity and the predictability of my sophomore year was imminent and falsely comforting, and I was okay with that for my upcoming years. I hate to think now that I was so ignorant to the fact that time races more quickly as you get older, and it saddens me that, especially on a weekend like Blue and White, it comes to a close so rapidly. Experiencing college as a freshman is both a curse and blessing, because even though four years seems like an eternity and college comes to you so naturally, it’s a false pretense because in reality there’s only four times you can really experience it.

While there is no better feeling in the world than drinking with your friends and taking in the whole atmosphere of a Penn State football game, there is also no worse feeling than knowing it’s all over. When you walk out of your last home football game as a senior in the fall, the stigma is horrible. As a full-time student, it will be the last time you have that experience…now you will only attend as an alum. This is why it makes Blue and White weekend all worthwhile. That little glimmer of hope that it’s not all over just yet is comforting, but now that’s gone, it’s terrifying that this chapter is closing. Looking at how damn good Beaver Stadium looks will always make me proud yet nostalgic.

At the end of the day though, I’m so pleased with how this Blue and White weekend turned out. I was among company in which I had cultivated relationships since the beginning of my time here. I was able to see all of my friends happily imbibing their way through the crowds and the energy was contagious like always. The Penn State atmosphere is so vibrant and jubilant that it’s hard not to catch the fever. This overwhelming blue and white fever that will be so dearly missed. It’s the cloudless, blue skies, it’s the friends you surround yourself and the memories made that encapsulate the whole day into one. Even though Blue and White weekend is just a scrimmage, it’s also a last hoorah. It’s the last large Penn State event before embarking on a new journey and it’s a friendly reminder that the blue and white will always have your heart. I loved experiencing it as a student and the joy experienced far outweighs the depression I’m feeling now, but now I will be an alum when I come back. I can’t wait to don the blue and white and partake in the activities in a new capacity. The way in which I will celebrate in years to come will be different, but the emotions and love I feel for this weekend and my school will be forever undying.