According to Webster’s, the definition of “commencement” is “a beginning or start.” So it is fitting that we typically refer to graduation ceremonies as a commencement — looking to the future rather than celebrating (or bemoaning) the past.
For thousands of students throughout Clark County, it is commencement season. It is an opportunity for a beginning, a movement toward a career or additional education, a demarcation in personal journeys.
Washington State University Vancouver held its graduation ceremonies last month, conferring degrees on 847 students. Most local high schools will honor graduates this week; Clark College will hold its ceremony June 15. Combined, they will send thousands of local people toward their futures.
Whether they are graduating from college or high school, members of the Class of 2023 have had a most unusual academic experience. A pandemic arrived in the midst of their education, interrupting and discombobulating their school routines. But they persevered.
Each class of graduates, each generation, experiences its own tribulations. No path is inherently more difficult than another, but graduates of recent years have traveled a unique one.
Along the way, they have been infused with doubt. The world of four years ago has been altered, along with the expectations of what lies ahead. This has exacerbated what already was a growing sense of uncertainty.
Every three years, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development asks 15-year-olds what they envision themselves doing when they are 30.
In a summary of the most recent survey, Vox.com writes: “In the last 20 years, we’ve seen a concerning trend. More and more teenagers name the same basic jobs, like doctor or lawyer, almost as if they’re picking jobs out of a children’s book. And even more worrisome is that more and more teenagers don’t even name a job. All of this hints that today’s teenagers aren’t thinking enough about their future plans — and, fair or not, this lack of career preparation will likely have lifelong consequences.”
Mapping out your future is not a prerequisite for a happy, fulfilling, successful life. But a lack of confidence in that future can make the journey more arduous.
Yet graduation is a time for hope and inspiration and endless possibilities. It is a time for rousing commencement speeches by the famous and the less-famous, trying to deliver a snappy one-liner that will be forever be enshrined on lists of memorable commencement quotes:
“Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth. The people who wanted it the least were the ones I wanted to date and be friends with in high school. The people who want it most are the people I now hire to work for my company. ” (Taylor Swift)
“You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” (Steve Jobs)
“Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.” (Mary Schmich)
That last one wasn’t from a commencement speech. It was from a Chicago Tribune columnist offering a hypothetical speech to graduates everywhere. But it serves as a reminder of the immutable lesson of graduation: This is merely a beginning.
