I dreamed of graduations last night, that I was driving across a landscape that was both familiar and yet utterly foreign, and to every side were graduations ceremonies. Young people in caps and gowns of various shades were assembling on lawns, milling in parking lots, playing on swing-sets and racing across fields. Some were tossing their mortarboards high in the air; others had their robes open against the heat, revealing bright sundresses or madras shorts beneath the official regalia. I recall especially one group of young women, dancing around a hill in front of a chapel, all in white, looking like doves about to soar.
In the dream---in that odd way that dreams have of bubbling up images that disconnect from reality---I understood that these young people were all Wofford graduates, despite the fact that the scene was not the one in front of Old Main. And I also knew that they would soon go one way, while I would be forced to continue to drive down my endless road.
Graduation is the most emotional time of the year. There is nervousness in September, cheer at Christmas, adventure at interim, accomplishment in March and April, but mid-May is (for me at least) a time of tears, when I get choked up at random moments, when I can look at our history majors and see not the exam that one has to take, or the less than perfect paper another wrote, but the amazing potential that all of these young people possess.
I realize that 2009 maybe not be the premium year to graduate. When I talk to many of the seniors I sense their worry about their immediate future, especially those who are searching for jobs rather than going on to post-graduate education. I understand how they feel---1985 wasn't exactly the best year to wear a cap and gown either! I remember being openly mocked for having taken a degree in history instead of joining the FSU SOB's (School of Business). But things worked out OK in the end, and I hope that our graduates will understand that it will work out for them as well. They have an extraordinary education, one that has shaped them as well-rounded, naturally curious and insightful human beings. If the job they hoped to find is not available, I suggest that they are clever enough to find an even better job, or create their own careers in new and novel fields. I believe in the Wofford Class of 2009 far more than I believed in the Madison County High School Class of 1981, or the FSU Class of 1985.
I also hope that, on graduation day, our students will not allow the economic doldrums to sully their joy. A college graduation is a once in a lifetime moment. It should be celebrated with glee and (as President Dunlap says about the Terrio) a sense of 'reckless abandon.' Just be sure to get the gown pressed and be in line on time. Graduation day is a reality shaped from many long ago dreams, and like the oddly white-robed people in my dream, I want to see my Wofford seniors fly.
Actually, i am contented of receiving my diploma and give it to my parents as a thank you for all the love and support.
Posted by: Hydroponics Systems | September 15, 2009 at 01:14 PM