I cried five times this morning listening to “Seasons of Love” from “Rent.”

Okay, I cried listening to every song from “Rent” this morning.

The lyric “measure in love” beautifully sums up the most valuable lesson of my college career, which is hopefully coming to an end next week. As I reflect on my years at Loyola, I come to realize that I have measured my time here not in hours devoted to assignments or stressful, sleepless nights but in love.

I am not claiming that I have had a perfect college experience, because I definitely have not. What I am saying is that I have had had a college career colored with love.

Considering the irony that is my middle name – Faith-I am one of the most skeptical people my friends know.

I had no idea that when I walked in to The Maroon office three Januarys ago that I would be on my way to collecting the best group of friends I have ever had. My college experience has not been at all what I thought it would have been. It has been so much better.

I was afraid. Oh, I was so afraid of everything. But eventually I learned that the key is not to neglect that fear. Be afraid, but take that fear with you and turn it into a great story later on, just as I have.

I would literally rather be here, with these people who love me so much, than be anywhere else with anyone else. It was devastating at first: the thought that in eight days this community would disassemble for me.

But, after listening to “Rent” songs on repeat, I have realized that it feels so amazing to have been able to enjoy this experience in the first place.

These loves in my life have cultivated interests I had and created ones I did not know existed. The best example of these interests would be becoming a part of the Awakening community which has redefined love for me in the best way.

Through the Awakening community, I have realized that I am worth the enormous amount of love and support that I receive from the amazing people who make up The Maroon and the Awakening communities.

Trust me, I am in no way saying this road has been an easy one to travel down. It has gotten bumpy at times, like when I have chosen my commitment to the newspaper over my grades, or crashed me several times into a brick wall when I ran out of inspiration.

But the love I feel with these people is unlike anything I have felt in my life and makes every struggle I have faced worth it. The friendship, humor and ridiculous moments and tears we have had together have made me feel fulfilled in my choosing to take on such a huge commitment by being so heavily involved in The Maroon for the past two years.

These people have become my people. We sleep under our desks. We go to Felipe’s on Fridays. We have dance parties at least once a week. We argue. We produce an amazing newspaper every single week. We make fun of other people’s fonts. And, most importantly, we sing all of the parts of “Seasons of Love.”