For the past few years, I have had the absolute pleasure to volunteer for the UNBC convocation ceremonies.
Beyond any other day throughout the school year, graduation day is my favourite day.
This year, as with last year, I was able to watch many of my students who I have known from the beginning of their academic journey cross their finish line.It has been a privilege and an honour to witness their growth and development over the past years.Well done, grads, well done.
There is no road map to the time after graduation.I remember both of my graduation ceremonies very clearly although I don't remember any of the speeches or the encouraging words that were spoken during the ceremonies.
I do remember the feeling of a great relief, followed by a mild panic. I remember thinking to myself, "Now what?"
My words of encouragement aren't very encouraging because in the dozen or so years since I graduated from university, I still ask myself that same question every year.
What I do know is this: there is no certainty for your future.There is no best time to embark on an adventure. There is no best time to have children or to change careers. There is only today and tomorrow you can't change.
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the students from the high schools, CNC and UNBC who maybe have "just missed" their graduation ceremonies. Perhaps, you are a few courses shy of your graduation requirements, or you didn't pass that last statistics course and you ended up not making the cut-off for graduation.
You are a part of the "should have" graduated students but you haven't yet made it. Maybe you "should have" graduated a year ago, two, five or 20 years ago and, for whatever reason, you haven't yet.
So to the students who "should have" graduated and who are feeling bad about not finishing.Don't give up.
If it's important to you - finish your diploma, your degree, your master's degree. All it takes is time and a little perseverance.
It's never too late for learning, for crossing the stage and making it through to the other side. If you want to graduate, you can. Learning is not a race but a slow marathon with no time limit.
No one will ever stop you to say, "Sorry, you've learned enough. You can stop now."
And when you cross the finish line, there will always be people cheering you on.
