Graduation
I’m 21 years old and graduating college. That sentence still doesn’t feel real.
For so long, graduation felt like this distant checkpoint—a blurry finish line you think about but never really see until you're standing right in front of it, cap in hand, trying not to cry or panic or both. And now that I’m here, all I can think is… How did we get here so fast?
Graduating is such a strange mix of “I’m so young” and “I need to have it all figured out now.” One moment, people are telling you how young and full of potential you are. The next, they’re asking about your five-year plan, your job offers, your long-term goals. It’s like being thrown from the kiddie pool into the ocean with no warning.
And honestly? It’s overwhelming. It’s exciting. It’s emotional. It’s everything.
Graduation isn’t just about the degree. It’s about the all-nighters and the breakdowns. The group projects you carried. The friendships that saved you. The classes that surprised you. The ones you barely survived. The version of you that started this journey and the version walking across that stage—they’re not the same, and that’s the point.
So here’s what I want to say to anyone else graduating—or anyone watching a major chapter close:
You’re not supposed to know exactly what’s next. Uncertainty doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re alive and brave enough to keep moving anyway.
Celebrate yourself. Don’t downplay how far you’ve come just because someone else’s path looks different.
Let yourself feel it all. The sadness, the pride, the fear, the joy. Feeling “too much” means this mattered.
Trust the timing of your life. Even if it’s not happening how you pictured, it’s still happening beautifully.
Graduating doesn’t mean I’ve got it all together. It means I’m learning to hold space for what’s ending and still be hopeful for what’s beginning. It means I’m choosing to show up—imperfectly, honestly, and fully—for the next part of the story.
If you're standing at a similar crossroads, just know: you’re not behind. You’re not alone. And you’re doing better than you think.
