It is one minute before May 7, 2016. When the clock strikes 10 a.m., a silent pause will emanate from me. An ordinary date and with no significance to some means absolutely everything for me. After I scramble for a bit of sleep early this morning, I will wake up to a day of great change.
My friend and I will drive out to school in our best attire, with me in my cap and gown, that just spent the final touches on the ironing board. As I line up in the chapel, my heart will beat so fast because of all the excitement to come. Walking across the stage in front of professors I learned so much from will be an honor.
All the tears and final exams will be worth it after the walk across the stage. Seeing the close friends and mentors who lifted my spirit up will give me tranquility, because the world would have stopped without them. For those who could not make it, I will muse over the fact that we will make up in celebration.
I still cannot express how ecstatic I feel!
Graduation is a big deal.
Aside from all the clichés about one chapter closing and another opening and so on, it is a moment where success and failures exist. College graduates follow a new career, but also remember the number of steps and how hard it was to get there. Errors are forgiven as the degree meets the hand of a former student. How surreal is it that all the days are coming to an end? It only seemed like yesterday when I packed my bags and moved in the dorm!
Though the future is unpredictable, grads look on the bright side of life and do things like never before.
Sleep for a week.
Apply to jobs requiring years of experience.
Taking a road trip to the beach.
Watching Netflix all night.
It is all fair game.
My beloved Peace College, which is now known as William Peace University, becomes my alma mater. The tassel will flip to the opposite side.
Tradition begs me to jump in the bubbly fountain after tossing a rose in there. I will not give a damn about the cleanliness of the algae at the bottom of the bowl. All my Peace friends will gather round to sing a song full of joy as we bid adieu to the place we know as home and life for the past few years.
As I close in for the night, I want to wish everyone belonging to the Class of 2016 the best! I am so happy to be a part of a community of people from North Carolina to New York who will celebrate education and that degree no matter what. No more late night study sessions. No more questioning your sanity at 2 a.m. No more ramen.
All the work paid off!
Congratulations! We freaking made it!
