Column: Growing up is hard...

Who would have thought that instead of my parents taking care of me, I'm now taking care of my parents? Who would have thought that a former pre-med is now an aspiring teacher? Who would have thought that a high school salutatorian would struggle to graduate from college? Who would have thought that I would still be here after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease? Who would have thought that growing up is hard to do?

I'm fortunate. I had two opportunities to come to Duke. The first time, I was an immature teenager waiting to leave home for the greener pastures of North Carolina and of a great University. The second time, I was a mature young man who thanked his lucky stars that he could go to Duke but wanted to stay for the greener pastures of Houston and of a great family - the Tai family.

I assumed coming in both times that what separated Duke from other schools was not its academics but its students that walk through the gothic archways each semester. Living in Epworth and Round Table during my four years along with the friends I met in class and in my extracurricular activities, proves that those assumptions were so true.

I've also taken every opportunity here at Duke. From studying abroad in Australia and the Netherlands and Belgium, to double majoring in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering with an Economics Minor, I've also worked for SWAT with OIT, was a member on the Duke Student Health Insurance Committee, a DSG legislator, a house president, a first year community-service representative, a mock trial member, a photographer, an IM representative, a student-faculty representative, a student-community representative, and most importantly a person who cared for others. I wanted to tackle new endeavors. In fact, everything on the laundry list that I mentioned with the exception of community service I never did or even thought of doing in high school. College for me was to take risks and to explore options I never thought of exploring. It's amazing! Unlike me, there are many fellow students who have the same type of laundry lists but also maintain good grades. Kudos to them!

As for The Chronicle, I will really miss my job. Before the Duke-Carolina game this year in Chapel Hill, I thought to myself, "How wonderful it is to be a photographer? I get free seats on the court, get to experience the whole game in terms of actions and words being said on the court, and I get fed too." Despite the 50 plus activities that I have been involved with during my time at Duke (I'm exaggerating of course...maybe) I've stuck with The Chronicle from beginning to end. The students at The Chronicle work here because they love it. Why else would busy college students volunteer from five to 40-plus hours a week at a daily newspaper? It is underappreciated how good and professional The Chronicle is despite the fact that we are volunteer-student run and at a school without a journalism major.

During my tenure at The Chronicle, I had the opportunity to photograph many memorable moments. From a men's tennis team who came within an ankle roll of winning the national championship to a young freshmen phenom swimmer who chose Duke despite a swimming program with no scholarships to offer and propelled herself to the top of her events, Duke sports has everything to offer and then some. Even the DSG presidential debate where only the candidates and I showed up helped keep me up-to-date on almost all of Duke's current events. There were those funny moments as naked students prance around the bonfire through the full 10x zoom of my lens and there were those sad moments as in the locker room of the women's basketball team after a tough loss at the Final Four. There were those emotional moments as in photographing and listening along as father and son played the chapel bells at 5 p.m. sharp way up there in that magnificent structure overlooking a beautiful campus. Finally, there were those moments that not many other students have experienced such as being literally inside the walls of the chapel photographing the Æolian organ in action.

All these opportunities are now gone. All my friends at Duke will move on with their own lives just like my high school friends. I leave here knowing that I gave it my all, and that every effort and time spent on academics, student programming, extracurricular activities and friends will be left here captured in time. Just as I matriculated at Duke four years ago, I leave with anxiety, a knot in my stomach and sadness because growing up is hard to do.

Robert Tai is a Pratt senior and sports photography editor. He would like to thank everyone who has made his last four years enjoyable ones.