Graduations bring an indescribable feeling. I have had the great honor of doing it three times now, and it just keeps getting better and better. With each one, I get a little more excited, smile a little bigger, and walk a little taller. Graduation is a huge celebration of achievement and hard work, and The University of Toledo sure knows how to make a grad feel like a million bucks! It was surreal to watch my fellow graduates and friends gather in the Glass Bowl Stadium to take our final march as undergrad students. But first, pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. The party began in a parking lot as the parade of colleges lined up, and it captured moments that I wish could have stood still for forever. The ceremony got underway, and as I sat there and watched the events play out, I was soaking up every moment. Our president, Dr. Sharon Gaber kicked it all off with congratulatory remarks. With keynote speakers, they are either hit or miss, but Charles Ealey was amazing! As a University of Toledo Alumni and three-time MAC Champion football player with a 35-0 record that still stands, he brought a unique perspective to the day. His three points were to be inward, outward, and upward. It was powerful, and it made me think about how I can apply these concepts to my life. Inward. I am reflective to begin with, but you add a major life event to the mix, and I am in my thoughts for days. He reminded us to not worry so much about making a living that we lose sight of making a life. Even though the whole point of going to school and paying way too much for a pretty piece of paper is to get a job and make a decent living, there is more to this than what is shown on the surface. Building a life means dreaming and setting goals, and however we reach those things are what matter. Outward. We were challenged to make a global impact. The people we meet and the choices we make will be a guiding light through life. We have to be willing to put ourselves out there to make advances and be willing to take risks and be transparent even when it is hard. We are to be open to newness and grow in all aspects. Upward. These are our values. With great optimism, the odds are in our favor, and we should strive to be positive and see the possibilities in the things we set our minds to in life. Things are always brighter looking up, so up I will look. About halfway through the ceremony, the College of Health and Human Services was called to make that proud walk to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. My friends and I stood up, walked to the sidelines of the field, gave a wink and a wave to our parents in the stands, smiled for the cameras, and prayed we did not trip as we shook hands with the most important people of the university. We started this journey together, and nothing was going to keep us from finishing it together. As our professors cheered us on and were paparazzi-in-training, we knew they were proud of us. It was a cool feeling to know they were the first ones to welcome us into the program and would be the last ones to send us off to our next chapter. Such a sigh of relief came after I returned to my seat. More pictures ensued, of course, but a flood of happiness came over me. The close of The University of Toledo’s Class of 2018 Commencement came two-and-a-half hours after it began. We just about danced off the field (because that is how we finish) and shuffled through the crowd to greet our parents as new graduates. It felt like they squeezed a little tighter and held on a little longer. To say my parents were proud would be an understatement. For some, we had to say goodbye to for a while to friends and others was just a “see you later.” Much of our free time from studying was spent watching funny videos or making Grey’s Anatomy and Friends references. I think it is funny that those two television shows became our shows because we are so much like both. We became friends because we had to in the beginning and we needed each other as the interns did on their first day. But, as the days turned into months and the months turned to years, we grew together in friendships because we wanted to and saw an unbreakable bond form like the friends of Central Perk. Doors will open and close, and friends will come and go. There will always be room for each of us in each other’s lives, and I have been blessed with the best. These three years would not have been nearly as fun without them, and the best part about it is that we did it together. Saturday, May 5, 2018 was a special day. It was the one where we graduated. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018
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