Fourteen years ago, on a slightly cool evening where a thin cardigan barely stopped me from shivering, I hugged my friends tightly as we rode back to campus in the back of a taxi, both anxiously anticipating and dreading the next day: Graduation Day. The song, “I’m Into Something Good” by Herman’s Hermits played on the radio and we all grew silent, listening to every word and savoring the moment. It was the first time I had heard the song. Now, I can’t listen to it without it taking me right back to that cab ride. It was a moment that I will never forget; it assured us all that while we were closing the chapter on what had been the best four years of our lives, something good was about to happen.
That something good did not come the next day. Actually, my graduation ceremony was a complete disaster. My roommates and I woke up early, curled our hair, and put on extra make-up for those lifelong photos that were to come. We hugged each other goodbye as we walked off to find our respective procession lines, and with about 10 minutes before the ceremony began, we felt the first rain drop. For four hours, the rain beat down on us as our soggy caps wilted around our ears and little pools of muddy water drowned our brand new graduation shoes. Our keynote speaker, Soledad O’Brien, didn’t even speak in an effort to move the ceremony along. The rain didn’t end until the next day.
I have one photo from that day, in which I am soaking wet and hiding under a tree before running in high heels back to my student apartment to pack up four years’ worth of memories. I couldn’t even dress up in the cap and gown after the ceremony to capture decent photos because the rain destroyed both. It was a tragically awful day to culminate four years that had been filled with hope, opportunity, and success. Class of 2020, I, too, was robbed of a proper graduation.
I’m not joking when I tell you that it took me years to get over the fact that I have not one photo of me crossing the stage, or that I don’t have a single photo with friends. But here’s the reality: I have the degree! There is not a pandemic or tragedy of any kind that can take that away from me or you. So go ahead and be upset if you want to be, but then dry your tears and look at that fancy piece of paper and go buy yourself a fancy diploma frame to put it in. We can choose to either dwell on what could have been, or we can look to the future with hope and earnest.
Class of 2020, you will have bigger moments in your life than crossing a stage. You will climb Mt. Everest, foster a child, or save the rainforest. You will speak out against injustice, run a marathon, or find a cure for cancer. You will plant a garden and feed the homeless, hold your grandmother’s hand as she passes on, or graduate with yet another degree. You will publish a research article, win a Pulitzer prize, or lose 100 pounds. Whatever you do, do things that make you uncomfortable. Yes, I said uncomfortable. That’s because we don’t grow in comfort; we grow when we are uncomfortable. We grow when we challenge ourselves with something we never thought we could do. We grow when we are pinned to the ground by the force of adversity, but then break through with strength we never knew we had. Don’t live a comfortable life; live very, very uncomfortably. Challenge yourself every chance you get. Hike that mountain, write that book, and take a stance against global warming. And if anyone ever tells you that you can’t do something, or that it’s not worth pursuing, do NOT listen to them. Only those who cannot do what we can do are going to tell you this. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and encourage you when you have fallen and want to give up. These are the only people I allow into my life now. Run after your dreams like your life depends on it, because it does depend on it. And if you ever find yourself in a relationship with someone who is anything but encouraging to you, leave. Leave right away and save yourself the heartbreak later on. Your gut will never steer you wrong, so always listen to it. If something doesn’t feel right, then it is not right. You will know when you are meant to do something because you will feel it in your core and it will make you feel alive.
You are what the world needs right now. Yes, you. Each and every one of you. We need your talent, innovation, creativity, and most of all, we need your compassion. Don’t you dare waste your talents because you are too afraid to pursue them. You may not yet know what your talents are, so keep searching. You will discover them. You will encounter setbacks, heartbreaks, and adversity along your path, and sometimes, you will get lost in the dark and you won’t see the light for years. But you will find the light; you just have to keep searching. Darkness only overcomes those who stop searching for the light. You have the courage to overcome all of these things and more.
Class of 2020, you have one shot to make this life everything you dreamed of and more. What will you do with it? Whatever it is, I have a feeling you are “into something good.”
Congratulations, Class of 2020!
-C
The C-Word 