Your college graduation only happens once. At a big public school like UCLA, it’s easy to find graduation ceremonies, especially the big general ones, impersonal or tedious. Sitting through commencement speeches and waiting for everyone else to walk just for your five seconds of fame may not seem like the best summary of the hard work you’ve put in over the last four years. But, if you really think about the symbolism behind it all, you’ll see that not going to your graduation ceremony might be one of the biggest mistakes you could make.
Graduation is a celebration of you, but it’s also a celebration of anyone who helped you get to where you are and any type of support they may have provided. This means that when you walk on that stage, you’re walking for your family, friends, coaches and professors (even your elementary school teachers!). It’s not about the boring moments or the people you don’t know. It’s about celebrating your hard work and being able to celebrate your friends’ successes while you’re at it. It’s a final hurrah of sorts.
The graduation ceremony also gives a concrete end to this chapter in your life. It truly marks moving on to whatever your next steps may be, and the entire audience (which might as well be the entire world once you’re up there), gets to see that as well. It’s such a great way to honor all of your accomplishments and give yourself a place to say goodbye.
Finishing college with a degree is not easy, and it’s not something everyone gets the opportunity to do. So, definitely take that moment, no matter how small it may be, to shine and represent all the hard work it took to get there.