The term alone is enough to make you shudder. Who would want to commence anything in the winter, unless it's skiing? Yet 200 people have concluded their course of studies at Roberts and are graduating, commencing a new "on beyond college" life complete with a shiny new degree.
Most years I have not been able to attend winter graduation because it falls on the same Saturday as the church cantata dress rehearsal. Even this year, although I knew the cantata was earlier than the graduation, I wasn't sure whether I would need to make a trip to Lake George or not. I was happy to discover I would be able to attend.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that I actually knew a number of the students who would be graduating. Some were students who had worked in the library, some were staff who had been working on degrees for the last several years, some were music majors whom I had met during instruction sessions. Its so exciting to greet them after they descend the platform, fresh with the blush of their accomplishments.
I have always appreciated the pomp and pageantry that sets the stage for marking this particular milestone in a student's life. The flags, the seal, the regalia, the music, faculty marching in together, the president and provost on the platform, the pictures, the presence of loved ones. Its a grand celebration.
Yeah for graduates, yeah for good weather in which to attend, yeah for families, yeah for new starts in life!
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