Graduation is only a little more than a month away. I never thought I would be interested in participating in a ceremony, but now that it’s here, I can’t wait. After all that I have gone through to get my Associate Degree I feel that some kind of celebration is in order.

I’ve gotten my required credits in three semesters and a summer. I’ve gotten pretty good grades in the process. I’ve been at almost every single session of every class I’ve taken. I’ve turned in every assignment on time. That was the easy part.

The hardest part of getting this degree was coming out here and signing up. It is hard to be a brand new college student when your classmates are all young enough to be your children. It’s hard to call your teachers Mrs. Jones or Mr. Johnson when they are younger than you. It is particularly difficult to take make the commitment to doing something you should have done twenty-five years ago.

I didn’t know if I would be able to do it. I didn’t know if I would stick to it. The thought of being a failure almost kept me from trying. But it didn’t. My husband was the one who originally suggested it. He told me that the Illinois Valley had this wonderful community college and that I should check it out. He had no idea what he was setting himself up for. He has had to be both parents, housekeeper and breadwinner so that I could go to school and study. I never could have done it without him.

My children have had to deal with many changes, as well. They have had to learn to do many things for themselves that I used to do for them. My going back to school took them by surprise. I’m not sure they knew what to make of it at first but they’ve been behind me all of the way.

This graduation ceremony is more for my husband and children than it is for me. This is their chance to see that all of their patience and support was worth it. Most of the graduates will have proud parents watching them receive their degrees. I will have a proud family there as well.

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