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A time to inspire, to be inspired
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Published: May 24, 2009
Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference.
-- Arie Pencovici
It's that time of year, graduation season. Students, young and old, are making the transition from one level to another. It is an exciting time filled with laughter, plenty of hugs and kisses and memories of the experience. And don't forget the gifts, cards, parties and food. It is a celebration to remember.
A few weeks ago, I attended the Winston-Salem State University graduation ceremony. As a member of the board of trustees, I am an observer and participant at the same time.
Behind the scenes, there is a flurry of activity as parents, friends and supporters file into the venue. An air of excitement and joy surrounds the graduates as they wait for the signal to march in and take their seats. Other participants are in holding rooms, putting on their robes, going over their parts in the program and waiting for the cue to line up for the grand entrance.
And then that moment comes when it is time to move from behind the curtain to the arena for all to see. Students started to clap and cheer as the speaker, Hill Harper, an acclaimed actor, author and social activist, Chancellor Donald Reaves and others walked down the long hallway to line up for the processional.
This is cool, I thought, when I realized I was just a member of the entourage. The big fuss was about Harper, a star on the show, CSI: NY. And he earned the reception, challenging the graduates to, in the words of Winston Churchill, "Never, never, never, never give up!"
Harper stepped down from the stage and into the crowd of graduates, challenging them to follow their passion, their heart. That might differ from your parents' desires, he told them. He also encouraged them to consider the spirit of another Churchill quote: "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."
Never give up and write your own history is great advice. That's a message one graduate, now 59 years old, knows very well. Twenty years ago, she told the audience, she was sitting in the parking lot of the coliseum as a new graduate. She had visions of this day and now has earned her master's degree.
There are so many moving parts to graduation -- the speaker, greetings from various segments of the community, the music. I look forward to listening to The University Choir sing. I was moving with the beat and tapping my feet on the floor to "My Soul's Been Anchored."
And then the moment arrives, the presentation of candidates and the conferring of degrees. The graduates proudly stand, walk across the stage as their names are announced, shake hands and accept their diplomas to cheers, screams and shout-outs from family and friends.
Alumni president Victor Bruinton, who inducted the graduates into the National Alumni Association, reminded them to financially support the institution. He had them read that part of the oath twice. Doing so always produces a little laughter, as the graduates realize what they've just committed to.
It is a day to remember. I was again reminded of that after attending a graduation luncheon for the son of a friend recently. The new graduate introduced family and friends in attendance before each had the opportunity to share a favorite story about him.
You could feel the love in the room. Each person had a special memory they recalled. The one that moved me the most was about the value and importance of the day to the people in the room. As the graduate's father told me later, "parenting is a humbling experience. It takes the support of a lot of good friends and family members."
Graduation is and should be about the graduate, but it is also for all the people who support, love, and have invested time with them as well.
A line from an inspirational message I read recently sums it up: "Every person that passes through our lives makes a contribution to our life stories."
That's what graduation is all about.
■ Nigel Alston is a Dale Carnegie trainer and motivational speaker who lives in Winston-Salem. He can be reached at nalston1@triad.rr.com.
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