Graduation Gift
Since the actual ceremony was canceled and all celebrations moved virtually the school put out a survey to see how they could celebrate the major milestone of graduation. It was a pleasant surprise to receive such a gift as a portion of the Carrier Dome roof from the university. The roof of the stadium is currently being replaced so this iconic piece of memorabilia is actually pretty special.
But I think the real gift has been the experience itself and no I am not saying this as a way of going above and beyond with praise. There really is something to be said about the experience itself. You get the chance to hyper focus on this field that you claim to love or have a vested interest in. You get to meet people that you may not meet because why would your paths cross if you are coming from one end of the world and they also? There would be no point but here you are studying side by side. It is the coolest thing when you think about it. You get to be in a place with people who like you are passionate about story telling in whatever format that might be and you do not have to explain because they get it. They get you because you all speak that same interest language.
When I got my portion of the Dome in the mail it was just the first sign of how much the entire experience was slowly on its way to being over. On one hand there is relief because it can all be A LOT at once which is great until you are so tired you cannot think anymore. And then there is the part that is bummed because you realize the beginning of the end is near and this unique chapter in your life is over. It is sad because it went so fast and so slow all at the same time. It all represents a moment in time and just about every morning whenever walking into a different entrance of Newhouse, I could not help but be amazed. So many emotions run through you, I think throughout the experience that you will have here that it all feels like a blue when it is time to move on.
It is the most unique kind of a roller coaster that only those who have ever gone to graduate school and specifically gone to graduate school at Newhouse will understand. It is something hard to put into words other than WOW.
And you get to learn from them and they from you and at the very least those life lessons you can apply wherever you go. The best part of learning from a peer is just seeing how their mind works and being inspired by it. It has a way of propelling you forward and introducing you to a new side of yourself. Newhouse, I guess gives you gifts along the way so that way in the end you have a basket full of them to pair alongside your own corner of your time at SU. To be both memories and skills.
