How is it that summer comes and goes before we know it each year? I’m sure I’m not alone when I think back on the last few busy months and wonder, where did the time go?

This month, I’m sharing something with the incoming students that I haven’t done in years: moving. Like the 5,600+ undergraduates who began reporting to classes this week, I’ve spent the last few weeks packing cartons and planning for my new home.

The great thing about moving is the UNpacking. Sure, it can be drudgery. But it's so wonderful to open up a box and "find" things I paid little attention to when I was hurriedly packing - photos of old friends, my high school yearbooks, and yes, my college diploma. Funny how those little pieces of memorabilia take on new meaning when you get a new perspective on them - whether it's by pulling them out of a box and dusting them off, or starting down the path to the next goal.

May that sense of rediscovery and positive change rub off on you a bit, too, this new school year.

All the best-
-Melissa Reichley
Editor, Alumni Update

P.S. As the freshman class (of 2008!) finds their way around campus this week, plan to make your way back, too. Register for Homecoming & Reunion 2004 at: http://alumni.american.edu/homecoming. Then visit: http://www.american.edu/newsletter/development/epostcards and send your friends a postcard inviting them to join you for the fun!

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