Menah’s Meditation: On Endings and Beginnings

On Endings and Beginnings

“The end is where we start from.” – T.S. Eliot

Once again, we find ourselves at the end of the fall semester and calendar year. It seems like January 1 was so long ago, and I am sure so much has changed for so many of us over the past twelve months.

Sitting in my office reflecting on this moment, there is so much to be grateful for: our faculty and staff for their tireless commitment to our Principles of Community and InclusiveVT, the individual and institutional commitment to Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. I’m grateful for their engagement in campus workshops, initiatives, and programs as part of their professional development, curiosity, and desire to ensure a positive campus climate for everyone. I appreciate our leadership, including the president, provosts, deans, vice-presidents, and vice provosts, for their unwavering support of the important work of inclusion, belonging, and community. 

I have had the pleasure of serving at Virginia Tech for almost nine years and I continue to be astounded by the brilliance and depth of compassion of our students. Whether serving in a student organization that partners with one of our Cultural and Community Centers, attending one of our many programs, pursuing multiple majors and minors, and being living reflections of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in so many ways, I am impressed over and over again by both who our students are today and who they are becoming while they are here.

I am honored to be present at the beginning and end of a person’s higher education tenure and watch them begin again somewhere new. This December is particularly special as I will have the honor and privilege of hooding a doctoral student. This ceremonial action at a commencement, which we often think of as an ending, is in fact a beginning. These cycles of beginning, endings, and celebrations define our lives.

As 2024 is reaching its end and 2025 promises new beginnings, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the future of Virginia Tech.

May we enjoy a small rest and respite at the end of the year during the holiday season, and resurface in the new year, ready to start another cycle of beginnings. Blessings to everyone. See you in 2025!