Congratulations Fall 2023 Graduates!

I've written a poem to read today
So fingers crossed that it's clever
I want to start by giving thanks
To the University and my professors

They have allowed me to be here
In many different ways
Through extracurricular support
Or academic praise

We arrived in our first classrooms
Standing barely three feet tall
Even now I can't believe
We were ever that small

But we grew and changed
The world came into focus
Things moved so fast
And we failed to notice

That with age came perspectives
Most we didn't ask for
Nights spent knocking blindly
On heavy closed doors

We reached out for help
And we found it on most days
In jokes among classmates
And hands being raised

What a gift it has been
To learn among friends
To find out that living
Is learning to blend

For we are mosaics
Of all that we've seen
The beauty and the vile
And the things in between

Formulas on chalkboards
That we vowed to forget
Notes that we've taken
And people we've met

I hope you can realize
That your worth in this life
Is not based on perfection
But perseverance through strife

You show courage and strength
You don't hide or run for cover
It's not about who comes first
It's what we owe to each other

We get to share this moment
As we did brisk mountain mornings
As we disobeyed professors
And their many syllabi warnings

The cold weather preserved us
Really helped us to last
Kept us looking to the future
And proud of the past

And I can say this with pride
I never outgrew show and tell
As I look out at you all
My heart starts to swell

I see artists and creatives
I see helpers and leaders
I see tearful looks from parents
But that could be the bleachers

And I still get that feeling
Though it may sound strange
That through these endeavors
That young girl remains

I was small then and I'm small now
In the grand scheme of things
But I look forward to tomorrow
And the newness it brings

I've tried to make a promise
To the powers that be
I will not wait for direction
I will place faith in me

I ask you to do the same
And I know that it's scary
A piece of paper doesn't mean
That you'll be any less wary

Try not to forget
The absurdity of it all
It's a shorter trip up the steps
When you inevitably fall

All-nighters fueled by deadlines
Professor niceties we abused
But I would call it pay back
For buying textbooks we never used

As I come to the end
I want to thank my mom
The sunshine on my shoulders
The excitement in the calm

And I want to thank my dad
For my humor and my charm
Although it's a fine blurred line
Between blabber and smarm

With thanks out of the way
I want you all to be present
Take a deep breath in
And treasure this moment

My final thought to my peers is
Do more than just survive
And to the Class of 2023 I say
Cheers, to the rest of our lives!