Graduation thoughts...but today!

As promised!

What a whirlwind! My scholastic sequel concluded with a bang on May 1st, as I walked across the stage and shook President Les Wong's hand with my degree folder in hand. I can't believe that it's finally over.

It's been an incredible journey. (Just so you are aware, I almost ended that sentence with an exclamation point...but then I think that I would have been compelled to end the first sentence of subsequent paragraphs with exclamation points, and I think that could get a little excessive. I also just realized that you probably don't care).

Graduating from Northern was a culmination of my hard work, a celebration of my achievements, and a declaration of personal growth. Having two young children, I had to bust serious ass to do as well as I did. I don't like to brag, but I am very proud of my academic accomplishments. The funny thing is that they came because of and in spite of my life circumstances. It was more difficult to achieve at a high level with two young children- but I was more driven to succeed because I knew that I had to in order to have success.

But enough about me. Let's talk about you. What do you think of me?

Don't answer that. Instead, read on as I talk about my graduation experience!

First of all, why wouldn't you want to walk in the graduation ceremony? I've had many friends tell me that they didn't want to, for this-that-or the other. But how many other chances do we get to live like the rich and famous? Or to carry a concealed weapon- on top of our heads? Or play dress-up? Most of us get 15 minutes of fame, tops- why wouldn't I want 2+hours of people looking at me/in my general direction?

Graduation day started off with the kids coming in and waking us up. Scratch that- graduation morning started off with us hanging out until like 1 in the morning with friends and family. I played a game called Fat Princess. If you haven't heard of it, you haven't been living. It's like capture the flag, but with weapons,confetti, and cake. Go out, buy a PS3, and download this game. It will change your life.

We got the kids (mostly Delaney) excited about seeing daddy graduate- or as Delaney said, 'walking across the street'. At least I looked both ways, right?


I got there early with my neighbor/buddy Ken and promptly walked across the street to the BP station. I did this for a few reasons. First of all, I needed to practice walking. Since they don't allow segways, I had to make sure that I still remember how to actually walk, using my human legs. Fortunately, I was able to score some iron-clad truth on the matter, and I was able to learn the real way to walk.

I also needed some sustenance. I scored a free cup of Cappuccino at BP, courtesy of Ty, who I met at the Dueling Band Show in February. Even if I never ever see him again, that was a serious case of networking paying off. Anything else that happens in our relationship is simply icing on the cake. I also grabbed a Snickers. I figured, I wouldn't be going anywhere for a while- so why not?

They had us wait in the volleyball arena about an hour before the ceremony. I don't remember exactly how to spell the name of it, so I will refer to it as Van Damme arena. So while we were waiting around in Van Damme arena, I realized that this part of the ceremony was akin to a holding cell.

See, it was very warm and stuffy in the gym. Basically it was a gulag for college kids in silkish robes. We stood around for what felt like hours, sweating inside of our dresses and goofy hats. My tassel kept hitting me in the face, and the ladies were walking around spraying us with static guard, which I'm pretty sure was just chloroform. They herded us into sections, and made us stand in order.

The only plausible explanation for these atrocities is that in the time before time, college students were sitting through the 3 hour ceremony and realized that it was insanely stupid about half way through. They subsequently mutinied, and took over. College presidents came to fear the power of the graduate crowd, which is like a small army full of Jason Bourne clones (unless it's Michigan Tech). Realistically, would you want to have about 800 pissed off college kids with weapons and a crowd? No. So they got together and figured out a way that they could minimize the chances of a revolt. They instigated night-before-graduation drinking. And those college kids that didn't succumb to instant inebriation were subjected to the holding pens.

During the captivity, I found out that one of my friends was wearing shoes from a 2006 wedding. That was stellar. The awesome thing is that I'll probably always remember that piece of information, and even if I don't I wrote about it in my blog, so now it's achieved eternal glory.

Being a part of the College of Professional Studies and graduating with a Bachelor of Social Work degree entitles one to be able to sit in the back of the graduation ceremony. Sitting in the back during graduation is much like sitting in the back during class-except that you don't get out first. There are no worries or responsibilities. We didn't have to figure out when to stand, when to walk, or when to start going up to the front. We just sat there, watching other people, cracking jokes, sending text messages, mispronouncing people's names on purpose, playing I Spy (that darn Elk nearly eluded me), discussing whether a man was sexier in leather or a business suit (for the record, I said a leather business suit), and cracking Harry Potter jokes. Yes, Harry Potter jokes.

For those who have never been to a college graduation, the professors aren't rocking 3 piece suits or dresses- they're all dressed up like some sort of magical wizard council! It was the best thing ever! I half expected for Wong to start awarding house points (obviously I would be a part of Gryffindor, because Gryffindor is teh bomb!!!) and the new Minister of the Dark Arts professor to give a speech.

I'm guessing you are wearing your varsity jacket underneath your robe. Loser.

Senator Michael Prussi gave a rousing speech- mostly because he mixed explicit self-depreciation (which I am a huge fan of) with some excellent points about becoming more involved in our communities, society, and government. He seemed to have no illusions about his importance in the ceremony, and because of that he became important. Brilliant! Although I do remember feeling that President Wong was going to get up and rip the honorary doctor-thingy that he had just bestowed upon Prussi off of him as Prussi kept going on and on about how basically nobody cares about who speaks at graduation. That would have definitely made the $19.97 I spent for a copy of the ceremony on DVD worth every penny.

The aftermath went VERY quickly- it's like you want to find your family and connect with them, but also wanting to see your friends and faculty and get some pictures with them. Now multiply that by thousands, and you can see how it is very understandable (and I would go so far as to say 'forgivable') that I didn't get a picture with my mom. Fortunately, my sister is graduating from high school in June, so I was able to concoct a plan that is simply brilliant. Also it is fortunate that I have such cute kids, because how can you be mad at me when I produce pictures like this:


I am very bummed that I wasn't able to get a picture with Dr. Carol Simpson. She was extremely integral in my transformation as a social worker and a human being, and I am forever indebted to her.

It's pretty much the bomb that my kids got to see me graduate. What an awesome example for them- that you can accomplish anything you seriously set your mind to if you work hard and have an awesome support network. I am pretty sure that I still would have done the graduation ceremony if I didn't have Delaney and Shane- but with them, it was always a no-brainer- I knew that I would be walking.

Of course, you can't have bittersweetness without bitterness. As I wandered around the Superior Dome, the reality of the moment began to sink in- I am not a student at NMU anymore. I am not going to be walking the halls of McClintock. No more futuristic passageway. No more social work classes. A chapter has ended. And while I'm happy for a new saga to begin, I am going to miss the magic of the past few years.

Being a part of the social work program has really driven home the idea of community to me, and how important our relationships are with other people. Some people stay in our lives for a long time- usually family, a few friends, and possibly co-workers. Most are just brief flashes- they are a part of your life for awhile, and then for one reason or another, they are gone. Both groups are very important, because they all weave together to make us who we are.

Of course I have a cognitive understanding of that, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm really going to miss all my classmates, and it doesn't change how much it sucks that this is a part of the human experience, I suppose that it's part of being higher up on Maslow's hierarchy. I guess that zebras probably don't have to worry about stuff like this- they're just worried about getting enough grass to eat and making sure that they don't get eaten by lions. Of course, maybe it is just part of being a human being. I don't know.

I understand that the immediacy of the moment is a huge factor in this, and as with the stages of grief, I'll move forward, move on, and the strong emotions that I feel right now will slowly fade into memories and photographs. I think it is easier to keep in touch during these times, thanks to things like Facebook and cell phones. But I don't know if I'll be any better at keeping in touch than I was before all of these newfangled contraptions. I'm hoping so but guessing not.

There is the chance that my feelings are indicative of a larger issue, and that maybe, just maybe, this is not how we're supposed to be. Maybe humans weren't meant to separate (other than death, obviously) as often as we do. Maybe I'm just pouting, bemoaning the loss of a part of myself.

Think about it though. We live in an impersonal society and come in contact (real contact) with people so infrequently that when we do, it becomes magnified, and when they leave, the sting of their loss is magnified because we're not used to connecting with people. Bonds that are not meant to be broken are broken with alarming frequency, and as a result we retreat into ourselves, the only defense against the pain of heartbreak that we know.

I suppose I could be overreacting. I probably am. But it's food for thought.

Anyways, that is my graduation experience in a nutshell. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed living it. But you probably didn't. I leave you with this picture. At first glance, it's merely a crappy picture. Look at it closer, and it becomes a magnificent work of art.

Sort of like me.



PIC- http://www.virginmedia.com/images/halfbloodprince-hermioneschool-431x300.jpg