Graduation

I didn't realize I’m graduating soon until receiving an email from USC bookstore, notifying me that I need to order my cape and gown before May 14^th, which is the time for graduation ceremony, both campus-wide and school-wide. Caringly, bookstore also mentioned not to forget to place an order for the certificate frames, where I can put my diplomas in, which “only” cost over 200 bucks per frame. Compared to the bizarrely expensive tuition, the frame and outfit for graduation cost nothing. 

Apart from the bookstore, my family is also readying themselves for my graduation. They started to plan their trip back in February and finally settled down on the cars and hotels recently. The entire family decided to dispatch a squadron of 8 to join my gradation party - my parents are certainly coming, along with my cousin’s family. The idea is to allow my 6-year nephew to get a taste of the United States, and help my cousin to educate her 6-year-old instilling her own version of American dream while she is still young.

Four years at USC has been fleeting. It feels surreal to touch the textiles of time. Out of the four years, it’s also surprising to witness what I’ve fabricated.  All I can do is to sigh with a moderate relief -“you know what, time does fly”. When thinking about the first day I set my foot on the campus of USC, I still feel as if it were yesterday. I have never been to the US before coming to USC. And looking back, it's certainly a bold decision - how do I dare to make a life-changing decision without even visiting the campus of USC? 

Anyway, I’m glad to know it wasn’t a bad decision at the tail end of the four years. Reflecting back, there is nothing I can do to make the 4 years more rewarding - it's been good. I engaged in a lot of different things: were in some romantic relationships and broke up peacefully; travelled to a lot of places, alone or with friends, domestically within the US and globally; maintained an okay-GPA, which doesn't endanger my career prospects; met a ton of people, who made me realize who can be my friends and who can't; been constantly reflecting on myself - who I am, where I want to be, and how to get there. 

Even now, I’m still not sure what graduation needs mean other than the simple action of graduation - maybe things don’t have to be so complicated, but I'm sure it is the time that people set more ambitious goals for themselves, where everyone hugs and says goodbye, no matter whether they hate or love each other, but wishing each other the best and hoping them to achieve whatever they have in mind.

Yet the truth is, people make progress to their dreams/goals in every seemingly ordinary day. And thus, people should live as gloriously as what they do on their gradation day. Similarly, we don't just turn one year older on our birthdays all of a sudden. We grow older every day and we become better than who we were yesterday. The routine of life diminishes the meaning it represents. While recognizing the meaningfulness of routine life, we still need monumental moments to remind and motivate ourselves, in case the bagatelles of life itself wear out our heroic dreams. In my case, I need the graduation to remind myself – “you are privileged and you are responsible to restore the equality of this planet”.