This past weekend, I graduated from Virginia Tech. I walked into Lane Stadium, alongside 8,000 of my classmates, my grad cap on my head and my gown just past my knees. I sat in a fold-up chair and I searched the stands with my eyes, amazed at the large crowd, and somehow located my family. I listened and watched (through the freezing rain) Facebook COO Sheryl Sandburg share a very personal story about losing her husband and tried my best to remember all that she taught us graduates about the importance of resilience. Later that day, I moved my tassel from the right side of my head to the left. I was officially a college graduate.
For four years, my sole purpose was to learn. I studied. I wrote 15-page papers. I read textbooks. I went to class tired and groggy. I wore down the tips of many pencils. I wore out my fingertips on my keyboard. I soaked paper with ink. I lent my ears and my attention to my professors. I learned about our universe beyond the stars, about how my blood is pumped throughout my body. I learned how to properly write a memo, a news story, a press release. I learned how to successfully acquire a grant, how to work an ENG camera, and how to speak in public without notecards. I learned and I learned and I learned.
The day after my graduation, I stood on the sidelines and coached my U8 soccer team. And as I cheered them on, it hit me that I no longer identify as a college student. Who am I? Now that I’m no longer a student. What is my purpose? Now that it’s no longer to learn.
After a few days of pondering and exploring this thought further, I’ve reached a conclusion: College does not and never did identify me. It simply helped me identify myself. I found that I loved to learn about space. I realized not only that I wanted to write but I needed to. I explored my good qualities and recognized my bad. I distinguished when I should put myself first. It felt like I stumbled around in the dark, and by the time graduation rolled around the light was restored.
I am me. And my purposes are many. To grow. To write. To work. To succeed. To help others. To make this world a better one. And still, to learn. Because in life, you're never done learning.
