Pride and solemnity

The graduation marks a significant milestone, honoring the unwavering effort and commitment students have poured into their education. It symbolizes the culmination of an organized journey --a time of growth, learning, and transformation. As graduates step onto the threshold of new beginnings, they carry with them not only knowledge but also resilience, friendships forged in classrooms, and memories that will forever shape their lives.

I am now able to declare that I have participated in multiple high school, college, and graduate commencement ceremonies. Furthermore, neither the goal nor the way they have been carried out have changed. What, if anything, has changed as a result?

Regarding the goal, the commencement ceremony marks the end of a specific stage in a student's academic career. For example, in preschool, the student will go through a moving-up ceremony after a year or two, indicating that he is ready to move on to elementary school. The student must complete six years of elementary school in order to participate in the graduation ceremony.

Four more years of junior high school are required to finish in order to participate in the completion ceremony. Senior high school is two more years, and college is four years. These are significant academic achievements that students would discuss with their parents and other loved ones who help them out in one way or another.

Such ceremonies are customarily performed with the highest formality and solemnity. It is imperative that this condition be upheld. Every graduating student must exhibit such a high standard of appropriate decorum during the entire ceremony. And this applies to everyone who is there, including the parents, teachers, and visitors.

However, depending on certain situations or elements, there may be variations in the way ceremonies are conducted. Among these is its status as a public, non-sectarian, or sectarian institution. Another is the ceremony's location or venue. While some schools with large venues would prefer to use them, others without would prefer to host the event at hotels or other suitable locations. The number of students who graduate comes in third since it also suggests how long the ceremony will last.

Major observations or customs that have also gone viral, in my opinion, are the graduates' parents and relatives' use of money garlands, which have come to symbolize possessions. Though it is up to them, there is no better alternative than simplicity and gratitude. By doing this, you would also be confusing those who have less. Another was a few students who, upon getting their degrees on stage, danced in a way that undermined the ceremony's formality. We cannot prevent our graduates from expressing their joy, even if they do it in a way that isn't already appropriate and jeopardizing the ceremony's integrity.

Graduation is indeed more than just a ceremony. It is not just about receiving a diploma; it is about embracing the journey and stepping into a new adventure. In fact, it is a celebration of resiliency, wisdom, and the prospect of fresh starts. As such, it deserves to be observed with great pride and solemnity.