Graduation Day

I was on my lunch break and on the way to the gym for my usual noon hour workout. To get from the Vice-President’s office, where I work, to the gym, I have to pass by what the university calls the Convocation Mall, which is a big open air space that Simon Fraser University utilizes for their bi- yearly graduation ceremonies. Today, the Convocation Mall was in full swing, with graduates, their family and friends, and all kinds of university dignitaries present.  Today was graduation day for hundreds of newly minted bachelor degree holders.

As I passed by the festivities, I stopped to take in some of the atmosphere. Names were being called as gowned graduates with glowing smiles walked across the stage to receive their diploma.  Friends and families cheered and cameras flashed with each name read out. I smiled as I heard each name; after all, this is what it is all about. 

I thought about what each of these students might be doing in the near future.  I am sure some probably had jobs lined up, while others didn’t.  I bet some people barely scraped by, while others breezed through their studies.  I couldn’t help but speculate that some were forced to go by parents or family pressures, while others chose university out of a love for learning.  But one thing I was certain about is that at this point in time, on this given day, none of that mattered.  The day was about them and about their accomplishment.  And regardless of where each of them came from or where each of them was going, for this brief all important moment in their lives, they all shared an amazing human emotion—that of pride.