It is a special thing to go out with a flourish, to hit the tape running at the finish line.

We can’t help but think of this when reflecting on some of the Hampden-Sydney College (HSC) students who participated in a new experiential learning class over the course of several weeks in their final days as H-SC students this summer.

They learned about photography and did research and community service to tell part of the story of Prince Edward County and the way Farmville Area Habitat for Humanity is helping the community with its home builds, including the “Birdhouse Build.”

The H-SC students told this story through a gallery of photos with captions and a couple of placards of text conveying key facts, all of which are on display at the Brinkley Hall Gallery, which is open for viewing Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

“This is my last class, actually,” said Tyler Godwin, one of the five H-SC students in the class. “I just graduated.”

He and his classmates were not coasting to the finish. He was one of three who entered the class with no photography experience.

“I would say the first week and a half we spent mainly on the camera, and we did little self portraits of each other to practice with lighting and stuff like that, but the second half, we just kind of rolled with it,” he said.

The results were inspiring and should help launch the graduates into post-college life with the best kind of momentum.