Convocation

Yesterday was my University Convocation. I've been finished since December but, as they put it, "The degree does not become official until it is conferred upon you." Yesterday, my degree was conferred.
It was fun.

Yes, to most people, sitting in a polyester robe for 2 hours watching 300 people walk across a stage--most of whom you've never seen before--is not a good time. But I loved it. I don't know why. The speaker was amazing. Her name is Chava Rosenfarb (she's written numerous novels and books of poetry about pre-WWII Poland and Nazi War Camps so check those out if you're interested), and when she spoke it was so incredible that there were few dry eyes in the place.

"It is with a sense of immense pride that I accept this degree. You see, this is the first degree I have ever received from a University and so today is my graduation almost as much as it is yours. I did not have the opportunity to attend a University. To sit in a classroom and be taught by experts... My University was the Second World War. I am a graduate of the Holocaust... Finally, I have received my degree, so far away from where my story began... I wish you all the best, my dear graduates. Remember, the future grows out of the past."

~Chava Rosenfarb