Dear Stanford,

I just got back to my apartment after our Rose Bowl victory against Iowa — the last college football game I will ever play. It has been a long week in L.A., a long season, and a long five years here at Stanford. I feel like I have experienced every emotion possible during my time on The Farm, but the mixture of happiness, joy, relief, awe, and nostalgia that I am feeling now is the best of them all.

There is so much beauty in being able to finally sit still and let it all sink in.

I’m so happy — both because of the goal that was accomplished and because I’m finally free! I am free. For the first time in my 22 years, my life can be my own. My time is my own, and I can do whatever I want. I’m sort of nervous about it, but at the same time I am tremendously excited. My life is no longer scripted years into the future.

I’m thankful.

Thankful for my teammates — a diverse group of strangers, from all over the country, have become my brothers and lifelong friends. We have shared so many jokes and so many laughs, so many hours of hard work, so much encouragement, and so much love. I will forever have wonderful memories of my times with The Boys. I know I’ll miss that locker room dearly — the most honest and free place on earth.

I will miss the amazing feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself — being a part of a group of men who are wholly dedicated to the attainment of the same goals. I don’t believe that there is anything quite like it, and I’ll probably never find anything close anywhere else.

I’m in awe of what we have been able to accomplish in these five years. Three Rose Bowls, a Fiesta Bowl, and the most wins of any Stanford team ever. I’m sure that as the years go on, the awe will continue to increase. Going to big time bowl games has felt normal during this handful of years, but I have to remind myself that it isn’t. It’s an incredible accomplishment that not many have been able to experience.

Because of Stanford football, I have had the opportunity to connect with and meet so many people who are doing amazing things outside of sports. In that respect, Stanford has done and continues to do exactly what it promised that it would do for me.

I came to here in 2011, as an 18 year old, only knowing that I liked playing football and wanted to play in the NFL. Stanford expanded my horizons in such a way that five years later, there are so many things that I want to do and be outside of the game of football. I want to be a writer, a motivational speaker, and an entrepreneur. Stanford has shown me that it is possible to do all of these things and more.

I have grown, matured, and learned so many things here. I have learned how to work hard and how to respond to adversity. I have learned that it’s okay to fail, and can even be seen as a positive, as long as you come back the next time determined to do better. I have been taught that helping others accomplish their goals is the best way to accomplish yours and helping others succeed doesn’t mean that you won’t. Stanford has taught me that it’s a wonderful thing to be unapologetically myself no matter what. I have learned that it is perfectly fine not to fit into the categories that the world wants to put you in, and there’s nothing wrong with being more than people expect you to be.

Stanford University has helped me learn to appreciate those who think, look, and act differently than I do. It has taught me that there is something to be learned from every single person that I meet. The world is filled with wisdom if one is simply willing to look and be open to whatever one might find.

Stanford has shown me the vastness and the beauty of the world that lies before me — beauty that otherwise, I may have never been able to see. I’ve learned to love being outside of my comfort zone because that’s when growth occurs. Stanford has shown me that the world is so much bigger than a kid from the Midwest originally thought it was, and I have been given the tools to change that world for the better. I will always be grateful for that.

I have made lifelong friends and brothers here, and even without the athletic success, I know that Stanford was the perfect place for me. I’m glad that I chose Stanford, and I’m thankful that Stanford saw fit to choose me.

Yours,

Remound Wright III