Buffalo State College will graduate its Class of 2012 during the school’s annual
Commencement Ceremony, held this year on May 12.
Hundreds of students will gather together, robed in black, as they prepare to walk
across the stage, receive their diplomas and move on to the next phase of their
respective lives.
For many of us, graduation is still a distant goal. For the rest of us, those ready
to leave Buff State behind, graduation and commencement bring a host of mixed
feelings.
It’s a big moment. The real world is an exciting, scary place. Maybe you know exactly
what you’re going to do once that diploma is in your hands. Congratulations! More
likely, you’re still figuring everything out. Either way, you are rapidly approaching
the next big step.
The entire graduation experience is perhaps best summed up by the
commencement ceremony, which draws plenty of mixed reactions by itself.
For some, the pomp and circumstance is all unnecessary. A diploma is a means to an
end, and an hours-long parade of our fellow students in matching robes, complete
with lengthy, cliched speeches, is simply a waste of time. The entire presentation
feels all for show, and the celebration of the completion of education can feel
hollowed.
Students who feel this way might choose not to show up to the ceremony at all,
preparing to wait for their diploma in the mail. Or they might show up under the
urging of their family, not for their own sakes.
But for others, graduation is a chance to look back at the last four (or five, or
six…) years spent in college. For many, Buffalo State is the final step in our
education. College is a collection of decisions, memories, friendships and mistakes.
Commencement is more than the goofy wardrobe and worn-out truisms, it’s a
chance to say goodbye to the friends we made and the college that served as the
focal point for so many life-altering experiences.
No matter how they choose to celebrate the end of their collegiate careers, any
student who’s earned the right to walk across the stage deserves credit.
Congratulations to this year’s crop of graduates. Whether you choose to join the
procession or celebrate in a more casual way, we at The Record wish you the best in
whatever you choose to pursue. Good luck.