By: Sharifa Small, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, sns161@psu.edu

As Penn State Brandywine 2016 commencement draws near, students are wrapping up research projects, internships, independent study classes and exams in preparation for what lies ahead.

The commencement ceremony is set to be held on Saturday, May 7, at 10 a.m., in the Commons Building/Athletic Center. Additionally, the commencement speaker will be Jennifer Morgan, President of SAP North America.

While many students are counting down the weeks until graduation day, which tends to be the busiest, others are reminiscing about their first day on campus.

Will Gruehn, a senior Corporate Communications major, is set to graduate this spring. He remembers his first day as a freshman.

“It was fairly uneventful,” Gruehn said. “I remember thinking that the campus was a lot smaller than I initially envisioned it.  I also remember being very shocked by the general size of most classes, but as the days passed by, the class sizes were a thing of the past.”

Within the weeks leading up to graduation day, there are always activities on campus to either ease one’s mind of final exam stress or help a student look for a job. Such activities include mock interviews, speed networking with alumni, career day prep (Resumania), career day and internship poster and capstone presentations. There are also fun events like Tunes Thursday, Movie Night, Senior Send-off, Spring Fling and much more.

Commencement is a joyous occasion. With that being said, seniors are urged to RSVP with attendance and ticket requests by April 20 for the commencement ceremony as well as pick up their cap and gowns, as it is very much needed for the service. Seniors are still required to RSVP even if they do not plan to attend the commencement ceremony, to ensure an appropriate count of attendees.

“I have a lot of mixed feelings about graduation, Gruehn said. “I honestly cannot wait to be finally finished with research papers, presentations and exams; however, I am also a bit sad about the prospect of leaving my friends behind.”

Congratulations to those seniors graduating. A new chapter will begin soon. It starts with being called a Penn State alum.