Life After Graduation

Taking a selfie at the graduation ceremony in December.

It’s been two months since I graduated, but every day I still make the drive to campus. I groan when there are unnecessary snow days and gripe when there aren’t snow days when it is necessary. I come to school every day, but I no longer go to classes. I head up two flights of stairs to the School of Education and Human Services Dean’s office where I unlock my office. I’m still part of this campus, but not a student anymore.

My after-graduation story isn’t like most graduates. I haven’t moved away. I’m not struggling to find a job. I had a job when I graduated, and now it’s transitioned into a full-time position. Trust me, it’s incredibly weird to walk past rooms where I had classes and it’s even weirder to now work with professors and staff members I once interacted with on a student basis. I don’t feel like I’m having the after-graduation experience. Which honestly bums me out a bit. Part of me wishes I had that two month period after graduation filled with Netflix benders and having philosophical questions about what I want to do with my life. Just day after day of sleeping in late and loving the graduate life while panicking about find a job. Yet I love my job and love that I can still interact with this campus.

Graduation wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. However the actual walking across the stage was incredibly nerve-racking for someone who doesn’t like any attention drawn on herself. It didn’t feel like the end of something, but a transition onto the next step. I’m even looking into graduate courses at UM-Flint for the fall. It’s been quite the journey here at UM-Flint, and I’m just not ready to stop yet.