Graduation 2025

10 May 2025: Another graduation in the books! Managed to get most of our graduates in this picture.

Graduation 2024...

4 May 2024: Another commencement in the books. My second (and last) time on the platform and carrying the big old mace. The ceremonies themselves were joyous and lovely. Feeling a bit melancholy about it all tonight: an exhausting year on campus and a great group of students (always the best part) moving on (as they should). Next year looks to be exhausting, too, which is hard not to think about.

But for now, I am just going to try to let my brain take the rest of the night off. 

Graduation practice...

3 March 2024: Since I've finished up as Senate President, this is the last year I'll need to participate in graduation rehearsals as a member of the platform party. Very glad about the "not being President" part, but practice is kind of fun, if only because everyone is in a good mood, a prelude to the good mood that will fill tomorrow. 

Also got to attend a graduation party for a former student who is now finishing her MA program. Perfect weather for a celebration at Morgan's Grove. Spent time with more awesome people. Just a terrific day. 

Graduation 2023

6 May 2023: Another graduation in the books. Felt great to have a pre-2020-style ceremony again.

Commencement 2022

7 May 2022: Was too busy ambassador-ing most of the day to get too many pictures, but graduation was really joyful. Will really miss this group of students (something I say every year because it's always true).

Ambassador Training...

6 May 2022: Graduation Ambassador training today. Ready for the big day tomorrow.

The final third...

20 March 2022: Today's the last day of break, so tomorrow marks the beginning of the last third of the semester. That always comes with mixed emotions: the happiness that comes with warmer weather and longer days, the stress of getting everything done (for teachers and students--project/paper preps, advising, conferences with students, and so many other events), the anticipation of summer break, and the bittersweet rituals around commencement. 

Haven't slept very well the past couple of nights and even in just a week, my sleep pattern is off a bit, so tomorrow might be rough, especially combined with a bit of anxiety over everything listed above.

But Call the Midwife is back tonight, along with new episodes of Bob's Burgers and The Great North. And one of  my favorite podcasts just did a watch-along with Troop Beverly Hills, a real delight I hadn't seen before. All of that helps.

So here we go, onto the final third...

Graduation 2021

[Catch-up post...]

8 May 2021: Still felt different (split up events, masks, distancing), but man, it felt good to have an in-person graduation.

Graduation 2020

9 May 2020: What a strange graduation day, but we tried to make the most of it.

I watched the videos the university posted for the day and found myself getting choked up the moment I saw names of students I know. So yeah: graduation still gets all those emotions going, perhaps even more powerfully this year.

Later in the day, I got all dressed up for a Zoom celebration with our grads. Even put the bow-ties on the boys!

It wasn't much, but some of the best we can do for these fantastic students right now. I hope they know how proud I am of them and what a pleasure it was to teach them. I mean, I tell them and told them, but I hope they know how true it is.

Security detail...

11 May 2019: Graduation Day always brings about such complicated feelings--and this year's group of truly stellar graduates really stoked some emotions. I'll miss so many of them so much.

So...it helped to have some lighter moments like the one pictured below: Hannah and her grad student Maya  pretending to be my security detail. Thanks to Hannah for always being up for a joke--even when she's doing a super-important, ear-piece-requiring job at graduation.

Graduation 2018

[Catch-up post]

5 May 2018: Graduation 2018 is in the books. As always, a bittersweet day.

Some photo highlights...

Graduation 2017

6 May 2017: "My first piece of advice: choose love." --Jessica Salfia, the speaker at today's Department of Education pinning ceremony, the first ceremony I attended today as part of commencement celebrations. Jessica is a Shepherd grad, English adjunct, and from everything I've heard, a simply amazing teacher. Her words of advice to our graduates who are about to enter the world as teachers were just terrific.

Commencement is such a special day, which I know sounds cheesy, but I guess what I mean is that it's just a day of so many emotions: pride (in our students, our university, and our own hard work), joy (celebrating their achievements, seeing their families), and sadness (I will miss some of these folks so much it hurts). But it also reminds me of something I am lucky to be reminded of so often: I am blessed to have this job. It lets me choose love every day.

Graduation!

7 May 2016: Graduation is always bittersweet, but it's always the "good thing" on the day it rolls around. This year a really exceptional group has graduated (but I think I say that every year?). I will miss a lot of these people.

From left to right: two amazing students, Emily and Nic; my colleague and good friend, Carrie; my work husband, Tim; and yours truly.