By Ross Edmunds

Contributor

It is needless to say that my time at CSU San Marcos has been a time to cherish, and to be cliché, the best time of my life. Day one at Cal State “Stair Master” began with struggling to summit the 11 stair cases to make it to Markstein Building on time, and I would wonder why on earth I chose to go to a school built into the side of a mountain.

Three years later, I look forward to that same mountain, and have raised the ante by running Double Peak twice a week with Dr. Nessler and Dr. Newcomer. Running with them has become one of the highlights of my week, with every step I realize how blessed I am to have professors who not only care about academic excellence but also physical well being. However, if it weren’t for Dr. Astorino, I would have never been able to have the college experience that I did. Dr. A has pushed me to excel within our department, to do things I have never dreamed of doing. Without his guidance, I would have never been able to compete in research competitions or present research at ACSM’s National Conference this May in Florida. His mentorship has opened the doors to being a Research Assistant and Teachers Assistant in the Kinesiology Human Performance Lab where I try to pass on my enthusiasm to every new class of students.

The fun I’ve had at CSUSM is immeasurable and it is a bittersweet moment to see graduation on the horizon, because it signals an end of days. Days that, without a doubt, have been the time of my life.