Six words have been floating across the Quad for the past month: “What are you doing this summer?” Some confidently tell their class acquaintances that they have accepted an internship with one of the elusive “Big Four” accounting firms, others express their excitement for their upcoming summer abroad, and there are some that have yet to make formative plans for the upcoming months. Personally, this question causes a fair amount of trepidation internally as I consider the unfamiliar life I will be leading shortly, a new life in a strange city that I am wildly unprepared for. I am unsure of where I will be living, when I will start my internship or how I will afford meals. Despite my uncertainty and the imminent possibility of my future diet of ramen, coffee and Goldfish, I am overwhelmingly excited to leave the comforting bubble I have made for myself in Tuscaloosa.

As this year comes to a close, I’ll continue to endlessly discuss summer plans and activities among my friends. For those that are graduating, the unique life that they have created for themselves in Tuscaloosa will most likely be coming to an end. They are faced with vast possibilities and opportunities, and decisions that I am not envious of. For many of the juniors, we are facing the terrifying reality that this is the last summer with the promise of a return to Tuscaloosa in August. We’re chasing internships and the idea of more experience to calm our fears of hunting for jobs next year. Sophomores and freshmen will soon be forced to leave the security of their friendships they’ve strengthened over the past months.

Each time the spring semester comes to a close, the student body takes a hiatus from the reality that they have created for themselves. Every time we leave Tuscaloosa, it gets a little bit more difficult as we find comfort in the faces and places that define our time in Tuscaloosa. This playlist begins with “Sound & Color” by Alabama Shakes, the perfect track to describe these upcoming months. The first verse and the refrain present the sentiments surrounding the feelings associated with leaving Tuscaloosa: “A new world hangs/Outside the window/Beautiful and strange/It must mean I’ve fallen away/I must be/Sound and Color with/Me for my mind.” These lyrics explain the exciting beginning of a new life while carrying with you the memories or “sound and color” of a previous life. This playlist delves into the feelings of excitement, fear, uncertainty, and joy that are sure to define these next few months. And with that, it’s “Closing Time” on my music column for this year.