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May 19, 2012.
It was an especially hot day as I donned my cap and gown, baked under the sun at my college commencement and sat among a sea of graduates on the senior terrace on the small campus of Westminster College.
I remember learning on that day it was considered bad luck for graduates to dwell on the senior terrace before graduation. As I started to sweat during commencement, I recalled at least a handful of times I had browsed through those sacred grounds, blissfully unaware of such superstitions.
If they’re true, I chalk it up to defying the odds.
Best years of my life
I approached my college years like a mission.
I chose not to live on campus, to save money and to focus on my studies. Living at home hadn’t stopped me from procrastinating, but that will probably never change.
I made a few friends throughout my college years, but always found ways to keep busy. I had a part-time job throughout college and would work anywhere from 20 to 30 hours a week while balancing life as a full-time student.
If I wasn’t in class or at work, I was sleeping or playing video games.
I remember getting so many concerned faces when I told people “I’m an English major.” Some questioned what I planned to do after college and, like many college students, I didn’t have a clue.
Ha! My choice as an English major has paid off.
If you’re a high school student thinking about majoring in English in college, you will find a job once you graduate. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
Small fish, big pond
If there’s one thing I remember about my first few semesters as college, it’s fear of the unknown.
“How are my professors going to be? Will the work be hard? Do I even belong here?” Those were just some of thoughts I had in the beginning. It was a small campus, but I felt like a lost puppy for the first couple of weeks.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that, as usual, I was being a spaz.
All the while, my dad kept tabs on how I was doing in school. Just like when I was in high school, he demanded to see my grades at the end of every semester.
If I got a B+ in a class, he would ask why it wasn’t an A. I’d give him my reasons, and his counter was always the same.
“Is this your best? Is a B+ all you got?” he would ask.
There isn’t a more motivating question.
I graduated with a GPA in the mid-3.0 range and I’m still proud of that.
Fittingly, my dad probably still wonders why it wasn’t a 4.0.
I didn’t get involved with anything at school school until my junior and senior years. That’s when I started writing for the school newspaper, got elected to an honor society for English majors and had a brief tenure with a film club.
I was the guy who didn’t go to senior prom in high school just to be a rebel, so school spirit was not something I embraced. I wish I had done more.
Bittersweet ending
Walking to get my diploma during commencement was like getting hit with a ton of bricks.
I remember walking through the quad in the procession and seeing the buildings I had frequented so many times. I saw my professors who helped guide me in so many ways, and then I saw my family smiling as I walked past. My dad, especially — he had gotten ill that morning and almost didn’t make the ceremony.
Seeing that look of pride on his face shook me to the core.
I was wearing sunglasses which kept my eyes, welled up with tears, hidden.
There were times, as a student, I wish I had had a deeper connection with my alma mater, but I learned as I looked at my diploma that I’ve always had a connection.
My college graduation still stands as the proudest day of my life. No matter where my life takes me, I’ll always be a Titan and Westminster College will always be my home.