Yesterday night, I graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. I still have one more semester here, but even so, I couldn't help but feel like it was the end of something important.
Having arrived at the Greek Theatre an hour before commencement, I felt particularly miserable. In the four years that I've been here, I never liked my major all that much. And of the many people in MCB, I knew a handful. (In my emphasis, I only knew one person...) You'd think that this would be a joyous occasion, but I was just sad about how things had turned out. So...there I was standing backstage by my lonesome, waiting for the procession to begin. (We were seated by emphases, so I was separated from everyone else I knew in the major.) The only bright spot came when the one person that I knew in my emphasis came up to me and told me to stand next to her. I felt like such a loser, but hey, here was a friend I could graduate with...
The ceremony began, and we proceeded to the area designated for the graduates. We were being seated, and as I was about to sit next to my friend, it became apparent that she would be the last one in that specific row... So, the usher directed me to start another row, and poor ol' Alex had to sit by strangers. No big deal, right? ... The whole ceremony was pretty boring, and I was actually gonna take a nap. After four years of dozing off in lecture, I thought it would only be appropriate. The only thing that kept me awake was the fact that it was stinkin' cold (especially since I had shorts and slippers underneath my gown).
I remember a few things that went through my head as I sat there. Most notable was the regret that I had not given my best throughout the past four years. Maybe if I tried a little bit harder, I could have been up there on stage with the rest of the honor students. I had no doubt that my family was already proud of me, but what if I had been a distinguished student? My gramps would have liked that... Nah, he would have loved that...
MCB is a huge department and there were so many kids graduating, that I started getting a little impatient. Luckily for me, my emphasis came dead last... By the time they had read half the names, I was so ready to get this over with. Finally, my moment in the limelight came... My name was called, and as I walked across the stage, I heard friends and family cheer. It was really nice...
Although the evening had started miserably, it ended on a good note. By the end of the ceremony, I was actually feeling proud about being a Berkeley graduate (and I don't like Berkeley all that much). Good friends, a loving family, a decent education, life experiences (if you can call them that)... All in all, the whole night had been a pleasant reminder that I had been blessed in so many wonderful ways.
Having arrived at the Greek Theatre an hour before commencement, I felt particularly miserable. In the four years that I've been here, I never liked my major all that much. And of the many people in MCB, I knew a handful. (In my emphasis, I only knew one person...) You'd think that this would be a joyous occasion, but I was just sad about how things had turned out. So...there I was standing backstage by my lonesome, waiting for the procession to begin. (We were seated by emphases, so I was separated from everyone else I knew in the major.) The only bright spot came when the one person that I knew in my emphasis came up to me and told me to stand next to her. I felt like such a loser, but hey, here was a friend I could graduate with...
The ceremony began, and we proceeded to the area designated for the graduates. We were being seated, and as I was about to sit next to my friend, it became apparent that she would be the last one in that specific row... So, the usher directed me to start another row, and poor ol' Alex had to sit by strangers. No big deal, right? ... The whole ceremony was pretty boring, and I was actually gonna take a nap. After four years of dozing off in lecture, I thought it would only be appropriate. The only thing that kept me awake was the fact that it was stinkin' cold (especially since I had shorts and slippers underneath my gown).
I remember a few things that went through my head as I sat there. Most notable was the regret that I had not given my best throughout the past four years. Maybe if I tried a little bit harder, I could have been up there on stage with the rest of the honor students. I had no doubt that my family was already proud of me, but what if I had been a distinguished student? My gramps would have liked that... Nah, he would have loved that...
MCB is a huge department and there were so many kids graduating, that I started getting a little impatient. Luckily for me, my emphasis came dead last... By the time they had read half the names, I was so ready to get this over with. Finally, my moment in the limelight came... My name was called, and as I walked across the stage, I heard friends and family cheer. It was really nice...
Although the evening had started miserably, it ended on a good note. By the end of the ceremony, I was actually feeling proud about being a Berkeley graduate (and I don't like Berkeley all that much). Good friends, a loving family, a decent education, life experiences (if you can call them that)... All in all, the whole night had been a pleasant reminder that I had been blessed in so many wonderful ways.
