Sixteen Months Before Graduation

Notes on getting ready for college, reinventing, and starting before the quiet arrives

I’ll never forget the first time I saw my dad cry.

It was three weeks before I left for college. We were sitting at the food court in our local mall, grabbing dinner. At that age, I don’t think I thought much beyond my own life or how my choices affected other people. But in that moment — watching the tears run down his face as he realized we wouldn’t ju…