This isn’t a letter to high school seniors, telling them about how graduation will change their lives and things will never be the same. We’ve all read plenty of those. As a graduating senior, I wanted to write something that we can really relate to, not something we will know in hindsight.
I recently took the walk. I walked up the steps of the stage, in front of my loved ones, shook a hand and took a diploma. The day of graduation, I didn’t really feel anything. It felt like just another day and I kept trying to figure out why. Why don't I feel like something huge is about to happen? All the people that have already graduated preach about how graduation is a life changing experience, so why don't I feel like my life is changing?
The truth is, nothing really moving happens at graduation. You’ll hear your classmates talk sincerely about each other and that will mean something to you. You will see your parents cry and that will break your heart a little. You’ll get this piece of paper that was worth an annoying amount of time and that will kinda mean something to you.
Graduation, to me, felt really weird. I looked at all these people that I grew up with and I wasn’t necessarily sad that I wouldn’t see them on such a regular basis, it just felt weird. I spent more time with these people than my parents in the last 14 years and now I’m not anymore. Weird.
I didn’t feel different either. It is like when you just had a big birthday and someone asks if you feel older. You just feel like it was another day. Graduation is another day.
I know once I am living on my own, I’ll look back on high school and think about how easy life was in high school. I know that is what motivates the classic ‘dear high school senior’ articles. Life in high school was easy compared to the real world. And I caught myself thinking recently, what if I’m not ready.
It is the classic words of ever senior, that we are ready to move on to the next step. But I think it is okay to not be ready, to jump in totally unprepared and scared.
Even though graduation doesn’t make you feel like a brand new person, I know that things do change. Just think about the fact that you’re no longer a ‘high school student’ which has weirdly been a character trait of yours for the last four years. You are a high school graduate and the expectations for you are higher than ever. When you tell people you’re graduated, they want to know what you’re doing and where you’re going. You’re expected to have a game plan. Things do change.
When you’re at graduation, look at your classmates. Remember that someone probably called you a really bad name once, remember that one of them broke your heart, remember the bad memories too. Look at them and remember all those ‘dear senior’ articles about how you won’t see each other ever again and know that is a part of life. Just don’t try to force yourself into feeling changed. I tried to, I tried to dread the future and the real world. I tried to feel like it was a life-changer. Graduation can just be another day to you right now. Hindsight can be 20/20 all it wants to be.
