"Smile, my boy. It's sunrise."

These were Robin William's last lines (as Teddy Roosevelt) in his last film and I almost cried.

Earlier tonight (well, yesterday now that it's passed midnight) I watched Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb with my parents and my brother.

 
We watched the last two Night at the Museum movies together so I think of it as a mini tradition! I've always really enjoyed watching these films and I partially attribute that to my love of history and/or historical references.

In the third installment of this movie series, museum nightlife director Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) travels to England with beloved friends (Robin Williams' Teddy Roosevelt and Owen Wilson's Jedediah) in a quest to solve the secret of the tomb (no way!) and save the magic that brings the museum dwellers to life in the evening. While attempting to stop them from remaining as wax figures for eternity, Larry also has to deal with his son's plans for the future.

 The gang also meets new friends at the British museum, including Dan Stevens' Sir Lancelot and the hilarious Rebel Wilson's Tilly, among others. These additional characters were great; the only one slightly overdone was Laaa, a caveman also portrayed by Stiller.

Overall, it was a fun, family-friendly movie, as all the Night at the Museum movies are. It spotlighted the theme of learning to let go and move on and also highlighted how museums can teach and inspire, which I loved.

I couldn't stop thinking about how much I miss Robin Williams and the fact that "For Robin Williams: Magic Never Ends" played before the credits made me very emotional as well. Such a great last film for a remarkable and influential actor that is so dearly missed.

Heck, I wouldn't mind watching another Night at the Museum film, but maybe that's just me. Overall, I'd probably give this one a 4 out of 5!

Closure in the form of writing: college students reflecting on Robin Williams' life lessons

My last USA TODAY College article as summer correspondent is a memorial piece on Robin Williams.

Many college-aged students, including myself, grew up watching and learning from many of Williams' films. As expressed in a previous blog post, he and his movies meant a lot to me and I am deeply saddened by his death. 

Because of this, the process of working on this article was bittersweet.

On one hand, it was incredibly saddening because in some sense, writing about his death just made it much more real for me, although the news hasn't completely sunk in yet. I personally comprehend and feel things much more strongly when I write about them, and this was no exception.

But even though it was difficult in that sense, I found the process to be quite therapeutic. 

I listened to some of my peers explain in detail why Robin Williams is so important to them and why they believe he'll be missed by our generation. They shared stories about what his films mean to them and provided me with some of their insights on depression and mental illness. 

Listening to their stories and fusing them into this memorial piece was a great pleasure for me. Helping others share their stories is one of my favorite parts of journalism. 

Writing this gave me a bit of closure and I hope others who read this will be able to smile at the celebration of the lessons he taught millions of people around the world. 

Let us continue to remember Williams for all he taught us while respectfully remembering that suicide and depression are serious and should be talked about.

You can read my Robin Williams memorial piece here. 

You can read the rest of my USA Today College articles at my author link here.

O captain, my captain

may your soul rest in peace. I hope you’re continuing to make other souls laugh wherever you are.

 -

I am deeply saddened by Robin Williams’ passing because I grew up watching, loving, and learning from his films. From Aladdin to Mrs. Doubtfire to Flubber to Good Will Hunting to Dead Poets Society, one of my favorite films of all time.

Dead Poets Society is so dear to me and I remember crying and falling in love with it the first time I watched it. How can you not? It’s an excellent coming-of-age movie with dialogue that is sure to cut through your soul and really make you think. It gets to me because it gets me. Moves me. Inspires me. Challenges me.

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

All my life, words have given me a feeling of fulfillment - regardless of whether I'm reading them or writing them. Language. Communication. Discovering new ideas, people, places, and things. These are the things I've always loved and hope to center my career around. I strive to be enthusiastic about everything life has to offer. I don’t know where I’d be without my passion, without my dreams, without my intense desire to do everything I can in life to fulfill these dreams.

 But that wasn't always the case.

 I was in deep love with writing by the time I watched this film but at the time I believed that this silly hobby would not provide me with a successful life. I wanted to be respected, which translated into eventually becoming a doctor or scientist, a businessman, an engineer, or a tech person - at least in my young adolescent mind. Even a few years after I saw Dead Poets Society, I still thought I would go on a more conventional route. The devil on my shoulder was my own Mr. Kerry, telling Neil on my right shoulder to quit acting (writing, in my case.)

 I'm not going to say that this movie was the sole reason I decided to pursue my passions and travel the road "less traveled by," as Professor Keating would say. But it was one of the first resources that caused me to really think about what I wanted out of life. The Huffington Post published a great article on how Dead Poets Society has affected and inspired a generation - my generation. I agree wholeheartedly.

Dead Poets Society helps me remember that while I fully respect all other occupations and career destinations, my own path is truly the one for me. It'll have some bumps and change every now and then, but it's mine.

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. Several years ago, I wrote down a bunch of quotes from Dead Poets Society onto my various notebooks and scraps of paper, as well as transferring quotations onto pastel colored paper to post onto my bedroom walls. I surrounded these handmade posters with some work I was proud of - some poems I wrote as a child, fictional stories, and articles from the high school paper. Seeing these words on my wall never failed to make me smile or feel inspired.

One of my Dead Poets Society quotation posters became the center of my 'journalism wall.'

Some of the other quotation posters I made -- another Dead Poets Society one can be found at the bottom right.

I'm reminded to never forget the importance and beauty of words; to never forget how powerful they are when chosen wisely. One of my biggest desires coming into the world of journalism and mass communications is to affect people with my words in whatever way, shape, or form. Williams reminds me in this film that I have the power to do just that.

Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.

Let's be honest, how many times have you seen someone from my generation quoting carpe diem? More times than I can count - and if I could count, more than I can remember. If that doesn't testify how moving this film is to thousands, if not millions, of people, I don't know what will.

It saddens me to know that someone who devoted his time and energy to providing others joy and happiness could not do so enough for himself. Please respectfully remember that depression is real mental illness and can affect single person. Reach out to each other, truly hear each other out, seek to understand. Many of Williams' roles were mentors, listeners, and advisors -- let us aspire to be that for each other every single day. And above all, love.

Thank you Robin Williams for the endless laughter, important lessons, and deep thoughts inspired by you.