Think back with me for a minute. By the time we all got to campus this past August, Everitt Lab had already begun renovations to become the new College of Medicine building. The new program was a big project of past chancellor Phyllis Wise.
In November, on a warm night complete with a thunderstorm, the Cubs won game 7 of the World Series 8-7 against the Indians in extra innings.
We lost some students this year- visiting student George Korchev to the shooting on Third and Green, Jonathan Morales on Unofficial, and more recently Westley Banks.
December 1st was 40 degrees. February 6th had a huge thunderstorm in the middle of the night, after the Fighting Illini beat Northwestern in men’s basketball. They later beat them again at home. (Ha!)
March 13th marked the start of construction on Green St. that will continue until December. The day before that brought the last round of big snow.
Titled “The Quintessential Engineer,” the statue was sculpted by artist Julie Amrany and dedicated by Women in Engineering to the students at Illinois.
Thus marks the ending of another semester, and for the class of 2017, the end of an era. In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” As you all go out into the world, I hope you build the life you desire, one day at a time. Congratulations, everyone.