Rights, Responsibilities, and Privileges

I love Pomp and Circumstance; I love Commencement. The end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

As a parent, I've attended my share of these, and each one is special. We celebrate each other by acknowledging our student's achievements combined with heightened expectations.

As degrees are conferred, we often hear that in addition to that degree, the graduate is now granted all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges that come with their degree. I heard this phrase repeatedly uttered at a college graduation I attended. Repetition, among other things, signals emphasis; it was as if the school administrators wanted each graduate to leave that ceremony with the tangible and intangible benefits of graduating (just in case they don't hear this message enough). 

As a graduate, there is an unspoken agreement that you can

The Sound of New Beginnings

As a little girl in the Caribbean, I never experienced the distinctive beauty of four seasons. So in my fertile imagination as an avid reader, I imagined what each season was like and how I would experience it if given a chance. When my family moved to New York in the spring of 1978, with its promise of new beginnings came my opportunity to confirm my thoughts about the seasons.

When we emigrated, there was nothing spring-like about that time of year except the calendar, since New York had recently experienced one of the worst snowstorms in its history. I distinctly remember the cold, being woefully underdressed and ultimately frostbitten. I saw other kids playing outside at recess though there were piles of melting snow around the playground and instantly decided that spring was not what I envisioned and therefore it was not for me.