Congratulations Graduate- Now What?
Looking forward to life after school
Sam Ridgway, Staff Writer
As one semester comes to a close, and a new semester dawns on the horizon, many students are walking the stage and starting new chapters in their lives. What happens now? Suddenly, the world is your oyster and that can be terrifying since, despite everything we do learn at university, no one ever really teaches you how to be
an adult. “I hope you’ll make mistakes,” author Neil Gaiman once said in a convocation speech. “If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something.” And so here is our first piece of advice: take that first leap into the great unknown of adulting. Just doit, and believe that those small mistakes will lead you to bigger mistakes and, eventually, big successes. Even J.K. Rowling has been there –”rock bottom [can become a] solid foundation on which [to rebuild].” The second piece of advice we have to offer is as follows: when you go out into this big world, do so with an open heart. What you put out into the world has the potential to change it, and that is both an incredible opportunity and a terrible burden. Treat yourself with kindness, treat the world with kindness, and open yourself up to new possibilities, and you will find like-minded, open people and experiences. For all of the positivity you can put out into the world, though, sometimes you have to remember to knock on opportunity’s door –it doesn’t always come knocking, itself. Choose to be the hero of your story, choose to take the first step towards a crazy dream. Even if you never manage to climb that mountain, odds are you will find some breathtaking sites along the way. Allow yourself the freedom to redefine yourself and your goals, too. If this mountain doesn’t seem like the right one, find another one! As you grow, you’ll realize the definition of success changes, Ellen Degeneres once said, “Never follow anyone else’s path, unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path and then by all means you should follow that.” Finally, remember, no one knows what will help you or your future any more than you do. Stephen Colbert, in a convocation speech in 2015, said “It is my responsibility as a commencement speaker to prepare you for what awaits you in the future. Here it is: No one has any idea what’s going to happen.” If you can go forth with bravery and excitement, you will find your place, and the world will be better for it.
