I was harangued for my decision by some friends, but I just couldn't get motivated for numerous reasons. First, I finished my last class about ten months ago, so I'm far removed from the experience by now. Second, at the conclusion of my classes, my department had a capstone "celebration" (they can't technically call it a graduation, apparently), for which I was trashed, that was far more timely and personal of an event. Third, when we discussed graduation nearly a year ago, my friends and I were committed to not participating; it's not my fault they faltered. Fourth, participating cost almost $100, which might as well be highway robbery. Fifth, I already received my diploma back in September, so I'd only be handed a dummy certificate. Sixth, I planned to attend Pitzer's graduation on the same day and didn't want to be graduation-ed out.
To appease and support some friends, however, Jessica and I sat in the audience of the graduation. In other words, we attended our own graduation, but did not participate. If that sounds strange, I assure you it felt weirder sitting there knowing that could be us sweating in a robe for three and half hours. Honestly, I don't regret my choice; I view that graduation as just a bunch of, excuse the pun as it is the best way I have to describe it, pomp and circumstance. The whole ceremony was remarkably impersonal -- throughout the event, the audience was rudely chatting and walking around -- just as I found most of my graduate school experience. Plus, if I might confess (don't hate me, friends), Jessica and I actually snuck in for the last forty-five minutes and acted like we were there the whole time so that we didn't have to sit through the tedium.
After some brief exchanges of hugs and pleasantries, Jessica and I trotted to Pitzer for our alma mater's commencement about twenty minutes late. This class was the last one to have a significant number of people I adore, so I'm a bit sentimental about it, seeing it as the end of an era of sorts. Additionally, the intimacy and power of the words at the Pitzer graduation made it far more meaningful than the graduate school commencement. In fact, it even topped my own from the institution, for which the best I could muster was that I took off my pants during the ceremony.
I was particularly moved by the speaker, Samantha Power, a human rights activist and Pulitzer prize winner. She made news recently when, as a foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama, she was quoted for an off-the-record statement in which called Hillary Clinton "a monster." It wasn't about that incident, however; Power had been asked to speak prior to the controversy and thanked the Pitzer community for not rescinding the invitation.
Power has been a professor, a respected writer, a critical voice toward our country's lax policies on genocide, and a political player. For each bullet on her resume, I grew more and more impressed and envious -- that's the kind of career trajectory I'd like to have. Though it wasn't the thesis of her speech, Power mentioned a college graduate she recently met that confessed to wanting to be just like her and asked for what steps to follow to get to that point. As Power saw it, at no point in her life did she have a concrete plan on how to get from point A to B. In fact, she never would have guessed she'd end up at the various point Bs that occurred. Instead, she opened herself up to opportunity and took the developments as they came. As someone who is at crossroads in my own life, this advice and perspective resonated with me. I don't always have to know exactly know where I'm going to end up somewhere great. I'm open to possibilities, and hopefully from there I'll make great things happen.
Power continued that one factor in life that you can control is who you call your friends. If you surround yourself with good people, you'll have a better time and good things are bound happen. The message is slightly cheesy, but nonetheless true. I keep my sanity in life by choosing caring people to be around, and notice my quality of life definitely improves when my friends are people I respect and feel comfortable with. To the members of the graduating class of '08 who I count as true friends: thank you. Please accept some distinctly unflattering photographs of you on your big day as a token of my gratitude:
On the same day, my sibling, Alison, graduated from undergrad on the other side of the country. Her speaker was George Bush Sr. I suppose her speaker was more prestigious (a former president: la-dee-da), but I'm happier with the speaker I got to hear.
The best part of the Pitzer ceremony, however, was when Michael Michael, still using a cane, and a man four times his age, also on a cane, attempted to walk (if you can call it that) past each other from opposite directions through a narrow passage of people. Madeleine and I both had to cover our mouths with our respective programs to hide our laughter.
Following graduation, I participated in about eleven hours of partying. It was a hoot, especially during the hula hoop contest featuring more than thirty competitors who spanned at least four generations. After partaking in merriment for that long, however, some of the details are hazy. I can state for a fact that I did not pass out in a doorway like Dan did.
When you pass out in a doorway on your graduation day, that's not a drunk moment... that's a metaphor!
No comments:
Post a Comment