I was finally at the gate. I had made it in plenty of time to avoid running and risking watching the plane taxi away without me. I had that happen once and swore, never again.

Time for dinner and coffee. In hindsight maybe, the coffee wasn’t a great idea. I only drank a little, it was like battery acid in my stomach. I picked a seat next to a power outlet, facing the window so I could watch the world go by as the sun set. I charged my phone, not knowing what the next 24 hours would bring, “always be prepared.” I learned that from my brothers’ time in the Boy Scouts. I learned “leave it better than you found it” from my time in the Girl Scouts.

The time passed, more people started gathering. The crew showed up and set out snack boxes, cookies, and water. Thanks to my food allergies, I passed on everything. Then they announced a delay. Our plane experienced a weather-related delay leaving Boston, so it was going to be late. The non-stop red-eye just turned into an all-night adventure.

We took off around 11:20 PM PST and landed around 8:00 AM EST. I was trapped in the back of the plane, in a window seat, with a toddler cranky behind me the whole way. So much for my dream of sleeping on the plane.

I was ill-equipped with an hour of sleep for what I experienced at the car rental counter. Note to self, get a credit card to be able to rent a car. Additional note, Hertz and the “customer service” supervisor are now fair game for every story you ever write that needs a bad company or horrible retail persona. I told her I was a writer, so she was warned.

I found myself at the Alamo counter. The customer service supervisor was my guardian angel. She was the epitome of “me” when I worked retail, all crusty and gruff on the outside, with a heart of gold underneath, bending over backward to help me.

After an emotional rollercoaster, I finally found myself in the rental car lot, able to pick out my rental car. They had a car just like mine, I sighed in relief. Next, I got to drive through Boston during the morning commute. I arrived unscathed and exhausted at my hotel. I explained my morning and asked if there was any way possible to get an early check-in.

“Ms. Waldon, you’re in luck. Your room is ready, go take a nap.” And a nap is what I did.

With no knowledge of local traffic and with it being a Friday night, I left the hotel in plenty of time to arrive early at the Academic Awards Ceremony that night. I missed the building my first time through the campus and had to turn around. I found it on the second pass. I was struck by the thought; this campus is smaller than my Community College campus where I was graduating the following week.

I ended up meeting a fellow student at the ceremony. That was an unexpected turn of events. We figured it out after the ceremony was done, but we were the first two to arrive. Since we had different majors, it took a minute to figure out why we knew each other. When I said, “what hell 400 class did you take?” she knew immediately what I meant. That was the class we took together.

It was the first time I walked across a stage for school since high school, and it was being broadcast. My nerves were on edge. My cell phone was acting up too. I felt isolated without any friends or family there or being able to connect with anyone. After the ceremony, I headed back to my hotel.

I did have a friend driving up for graduation with her family. She arrived late Friday night. It was a relief to have her there the next day. We arrived at the arena together. We got our cords and name cards together. Then we found out we could line up together. Graduation with a dear friend was a completely different experience.

I discovered something unexpected when I stopped to read my name card. It stated Summa Cum Laude. I was speechless. I’m grateful for making the trip. Hearing my name called with Summa Cum Laude was a culmination of everything I worked so hard for since August 2012. I did it!

I start my MFA in Creative Writing in July. I guess I’m not done yet.