I had a long list of reasons for not wanting to “walk” on graduation day this past weekend.
For one thing, I had already received my diploma – it was mailed to me in March, three months after completing my graduate program (in Interactive Media) in the fall semester.
And besides, it wasn’t as if I had to be on campus one last time for a final farewell. The program was entirely online, so I never set foot in a building, cheered at a hockey game, or met my professors and fellow students (unless you count Skyeping or Google Hangouts). 
But also, I thought I would look rather silly in academic regalia – a grown woman who received an undergraduate degree long before many of her classmates were even born!
And yet, there’s something very special about the ritual of a graduation ceremony – the Pomp and Circumstance march, the commencement speeches, the convocation and the awards and honors. Speaking of which, I was chosen to receive the Faculty Award for Academic Excellence, in part for having a perfect 4.0 grade point average. (Imagine that!)
Graduation is a punctuation in life, really. The end of one story – in my case, three long years of classes, projects and work into the wee hours – and the start of another.
And so I put aside my reasons for not attending, donned my cap, gown, robe and tassel and made that walk into a crowded auditorium and onto the dais, with eldest daughter, hubster and favorite professors looking on. I’m so glad I did.
