All too often, we swiftly pass through the stages of life without any consideration of what it has to offer. A Ladies Home Journal magazine article, featured in this month’s issue, offered a simple suggestion to those of us caught up in the whirlwind: Slow Down. Fascinated by the realizations upon my decision to heed to that advice, I would like to reiterate the proposal.
California State University, Fresno celebrated their 99th annual commencement ceremony last Saturday. I graduated with the Jordan College of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, thus am a little partial to its significance this time around.
We graduates have worked extremely hard to get to this point of our lives and the emotions surrounding that day are contained in a single word: bittersweet. As we depart from the University we have come to know and love, the transition feels like a conclusion in many ways. There will be no more lectures, homework, study sessions, or advisor meetings. But these things have only prepared us for what will be applied beyond the campus setting.
Conveniently, we are reminded that “commencement” is a new beginning as our ceremony took place during a season where flowers are in bloom and we can literally stop to smell the roses.
As college students, we acquired an unfathomable amount of information that we will utilize in the so-called, “real world.” We have transitioned from amateurs to professionals on our way to becoming experts in our fields. We are eager to share that expertise beyond our “student” status.
However, the lessons we have learned are not confined in the walls of a classroom. We have learned equally as much from young love, sleepless nights, road trips, the mistakes we made along the way and most of all, the relationships we have formed.
They are unique, and have made everlasting impressions upon us. During our college experience, we made bonds with likeminded people, kindred spirits. They came as a surprise and we were unaware of their importance as they began to unfold. But on graduation day, we are reminded, these people have made an everlasting impact on our lives,
They take on the shape of a friend, a mentor, a family member, a romance, a professor, a colleague or a co-worker. They have provided the encouragement we needed when we were ready to give up and quit. They have made us feel like the world wouldn’t be the same without us. They have recognized our talents, dried our tears, offered advice and provided support. They exist as a foundation for the success we have achieved. Without them, this feat would have been impossible.
Saturday's commencement does not represent the end for students. It declares the launch of a new life for a graduate. The years we have spent at Fresno State will be built upon through our pursuits in the professional world. Fresno State Bulldogs, class of 2010, this is not the end. It is our beginning.
For a personal account of the commencement ceremony, please visit my blog.
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