Each May department stores stock their shelves with congratulatory cards and endless variations of “you did it!” swag; caps and tassels begin to soar; various renditions of Pomp and Circumstance play across campuses nationwide[1]; and students everywhere celebrate both the sweet satisfaction of past accomplishments and the hopeful promise of future opportunities. Even if you yourself are not partaking in the ceremony of it all—or know someone who is for that matter—this inspirational season abounds with the type of opportunity that can only come with new beginnings.
Graduation season.
Historically, graduations have been a time of recognition and honor steeped in prestige and clothed in tradition, with ceremonies dating back to twelfth century Europe. Curiously, the now customary gown originated from the flowing robes aspiring clerics—who naturally comprised the vast majority of scholars, as they already knew how to read and write—used to wear to keep warm due to the lack of sufficient heating many of the first universities provided. The cap’s origins are a little less clear (yet perhaps equally unglamorous). Some claim the square hat evolved from the hoods these same scholars once donned to stay warm[2], while others claim the now customary “mortarboard” derives as a tribute to the masons and became synonymous with superiority and intelligence.
Regardless of the veracity behind ceremonial attire, the word “graduate” notably derives from the Latin gradus, meaning “step,” and thus conjures a fitting metaphor for an initial advancement in the larger journey that is life. Some might refer to graduation as a right of passage, although that might inaccurately connote some sort of guarantee or debt to be paid that is expected, not earned. And while the privilege of graduating is exactly that—a privilege awarded as the cumulative result of diligence, sustained effort, and hard work—it does evoke the nuances of a right of passage in the sense that graduates begin a marked transition from one life phase to the next.
Like the verdant hues and prodigious life that abounds each spring, the ceremony of graduation signifies a time of hope, opportunity, new life, and, perhaps, even rebirth. Graduates rest on the cusp of blooming into something greater, richer, and more whole; just as young green buds poke through the earth after a long winter, graduates are proof anything is possible with time, persistence, and hard work. Even though celebration and the nuance that surrounds the day may die off and fade with time, the immortality of your accomplishment—the fact that you earned your degree, you did this—can never be taken away.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Alyson’s (Cam’s sister) graduation from law school. A delightful weekend filled with eating, drinking, and celebrating still cannot pay just homage to the profound accomplishments Alyson was able to achieve in her brief three years. “Though she be but little, she is fierce,” and Alyson surpassed the already high expectations we all had for her by devoting an inordinate number of hours to pro bono work and excelling amongst her peers to be selected for the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants Legislation Clinic Award in recognition for her outstanding contributions to Ohio government. We all swelled with pride as we saw Alyson acknowledged not only for what she has already accomplished in graduate school but also for what she portends to accomplish in her future endeavors as Alyson Houk, J.D.
From my experiences I have determined graduation speeches often fall under one of three umbrellas: Go Be, Go Do, or Go Make. While each variation follows a slightly different organizational structure, all messages relayed are equally uplifting and empowering celebrations of accomplished students reaching for something more.
The “Go Be” variety is inherently inspirational and motivating: Be doctors, be lawyers, be educators, be policy makers, be mothers, be fathers, be influencers[3]. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
The “Go Do” version awakens an urgent sense of responsibility and prompts a call to action: Go do good, go challenge the status quo, go tackle society’s problems with ingenuity and grace while paving the path for an unprecedented future.
But perhaps it is the “Go Make” variation that packs the most punch and carries the most weight—Go use this degree to make something of yourself, go make a product, passion, or idea that will help humanity: Go make a difference. I revel in the hopeful challenge of this sentiment: Envision the world you want to live in and then make it happen. But, perhaps even more so, I delight in the sheer unadulterated faith and optimism this sentiment directs toward the graduate. The unfiltered potential and expectation of this belief is intrinsically liberating. You have the tools, the training, and ability to accomplish anything: Now go make it happen.
Graduation is a chorused invitation to the thrilling, beautiful madness that is life: “Welcome to the jungle”—“we’ve got fun and games”—now you are released from the protective cocoons of academia and tasked to go forth, spread your wings, and explore your role in the good, bad, and ugly that defines our reality. Go make something beautiful with this gift.
Whether you are a “Be-er[4],” a “Doer,” or a “Maker,” graduation invites opportunity and incites the challenge to rise from your current position and develop into that which you are most called to be. So, this season as you partake in the festivities, don the time-worn regalia, clink champagne glasses, and listen to Vitamin C on repeat, consider all that you have been, all that you are, and all that you wish to be.
In the words of Michael Scott, “May your hats fly as high as your dreams.”
May they fly high, indeed.
[1] Not to be confused with the delightfully early 2000s-edness of Vitamin C’s convocation anthem, which has somehow shockingly and irrevocably permeated every last millennial’s graduation psyche. Where are we going to be when we turn 25? Can Heather find a job that won’t interfere with her tan? As our lives change, will we really still be friends forever? I don’t know what’s more disturbing—the absurdity of 99.9% of the song’s lyrics, Vitamin C’s shiny rhinestone belt, the fact the “crimping” used to be a viable hairstyle, or the utter absence of academics represented in this music video…
[2] Man, it must have been cold! Couldn’t anyone have helped these guys out?!
[3] As an addendum, “be students, be teachers, be politicians, be preachers. Be believers, be leaders, be astronauts, be champions, be truth seekers.” Be this, and you just might stand in the “Hall of Fame.” The Script isn’t wrong, I will give them that!
[4] Not to be confused with “beer,” which, some graduates might actually begin to embody after continuous rounds of merriment and celebratory toasts.
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