Well, technically, now there are less than 90 days left. And as a senior on my way to commencement in just a few short months, I am anxious, terrified, but also pretty excited.

What better way to kick start the countdown than with senior-exclusive celebrations and activities for the next few weeks?

“Countdown to Graduation” is hosted by the Student-Development and Campus Activities office and lead by Nick Wang, their graduate assistant for campus-wide programming.

Last Wednesday, the official countdown began with a few tablings, t-shirts and more right in between the Dean’s Lounge and Kessel’s Multipurpose Room. Among the more popular activities was leaving handprints and signing names on the Class of 2017 banner hung up in front of the Dean’s Lounge right now.

Seniors flooded the table that was lined up with different paint colors and sponge brushes. With a group of friends, they left their handprints next to each other and signed their names. Some even left notes and hashtags that only upperclassmen would understand and sympathize with, such as #RIPBressel. Props to whoever decided to give Briarcliff and Bressel their well-deserved tribute on the wall. We will never forget.

Another popular segment of the countdown were the exclusive senior t-shirts that were given out to the first 50 seniors in line. The t-shirts symbolized the same idea that was presented to us as freshmen during orientation, which was beginning a new journey. The shirts were GPS-themed with printed directions on the back, such as “Turn left at Homecoming” and “Keep right at the Pace 4 Kids Dance Marathon.”

Similarly, the all-black senior t-shirts had a final checklist imprinted on the back, with to-dos such as “Alumni Networking Roundtable” and “Senior VIP Room @ Midnight Breakfast.” The final destination on the checklist was directions to take “EX 17” for commencement. They’re cute and very cheesy, but I’m totally going to rock the shirt around campus.

Other tables at the countdown included cap and gown ordering and representatives from Career Services. A final component (and my favorite part) was the announcement of the senior hashtag: #SeniorsEX17 – a continuation of the t-shirt theme. If you use the hashtag on either Twitter or Instagram, you have a chance at being featured in Pace’s Seniors Social Media campaign. Just make sure your accounts are public! You can also email pictures of your time at Pace to [email protected] to be part of the slideshow.

However you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a blast doing so. Make sure you soak up every opportunity and experience that comes your way. Cheers to the class of 2017!