On Commencement

From Dictionary.com. Commencement (kuh-mens-muhnt): noun. an act or instance of commencing; beginning

Intriguing, considering we call our graduation ceremony Commencement. Beginning? I thought this was a celebration of these past four years. The bad times, the good, the late nights studying, the late nights partying. Beginning? I thought this was a time to glad-hand the upper echelon of the educated, to celebrate with friends I may not see ever again, to rejoice in the fact that (at least until grad school) I never have to take another final. Beginning?

Yes. Beginning. Beginning of the next chapter of life. A celebration of the completion of my higher education, receiving a degree that will be a ticket to a job, which will allow me to make money, to start a family, to eventually settle down and achieve whatever successes I desire. A beginning of a new outlook, new worries, new joys. Who knows what the future will bring? The world is my oyster and I intend to extract every darn pearl I can.

Commencement. Beginning. Congrats to UCLA's class of 2011 - we did it!