2008 Woodie Awards
Graduate loves her magical event
Anne Roberts
Issue date: 7/24/08 Section: Opinion
Even though I was too scholastically exhausted to feel excitement about graduation, I signed up to participate specifically to bring closure to the years of my life spent at LBCC.
Since I had never attended a graduation ceremony, I asked friends who had graduated from LBCC about their experience.
Two friends who were 2007 grads told me I shouldn't even think about participating because the graduation ceremony took too long.
Speakers did not face the audience, parents did not control their children who were running all over the place, the audience was too loud, cheering and hollering out and long-winded speakers made the whole ceremony a boring drag, they said.
"It resembled my high school graduation so much that my mom told me to forget about walking when I graduate from Cal State Fullerton," one friend said.
While thanking my friends for sharing, I was thinking, "That was their experience, it won't be mine."
I held that thought throughout rehearsal until May 29th, graduation day when all 500 of us dressed in our red and black cap and gowns lined up behind the giant wooden gate that opened to Vets Stadium's football field where we quietly listened as the audience was being entertained by oldies sung by The Studio Singers.
The magic began with the music.
"Pomp and Circumstance" provided each of us with a sense of accomplishment, gratitude and joy as we marched through the human hallway of professors who welcomed us with smiles, waves and hugs.
All of a sudden my scholastic exhaustion disappeared and I was excited.
While waiting for our peers who were still marching in, vibrations of love and excitement intensified as we found our relatives, friends and loved ones in the audience of supporters and well-wishers.
Much of the excitement was calmed by the releasing of white doves, which began the ceremony.
Once we were all seated, I observed how things were arranged so that the audience could clearly see speakers, stage and graduates at a glance.
Since I had never attended a graduation ceremony, I asked friends who had graduated from LBCC about their experience.
Two friends who were 2007 grads told me I shouldn't even think about participating because the graduation ceremony took too long.
Speakers did not face the audience, parents did not control their children who were running all over the place, the audience was too loud, cheering and hollering out and long-winded speakers made the whole ceremony a boring drag, they said.
"It resembled my high school graduation so much that my mom told me to forget about walking when I graduate from Cal State Fullerton," one friend said.
While thanking my friends for sharing, I was thinking, "That was their experience, it won't be mine."
I held that thought throughout rehearsal until May 29th, graduation day when all 500 of us dressed in our red and black cap and gowns lined up behind the giant wooden gate that opened to Vets Stadium's football field where we quietly listened as the audience was being entertained by oldies sung by The Studio Singers.
The magic began with the music.
"Pomp and Circumstance" provided each of us with a sense of accomplishment, gratitude and joy as we marched through the human hallway of professors who welcomed us with smiles, waves and hugs.
All of a sudden my scholastic exhaustion disappeared and I was excited.
While waiting for our peers who were still marching in, vibrations of love and excitement intensified as we found our relatives, friends and loved ones in the audience of supporters and well-wishers.
Much of the excitement was calmed by the releasing of white doves, which began the ceremony.
Once we were all seated, I observed how things were arranged so that the audience could clearly see speakers, stage and graduates at a glance.
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