Convocation

Last week I attended my first convocation. All faculty members gathered in the mezzanine of the B.J. Haan auditorium in our fancy dress to line up for the procession. I must say, we were a good looking bunch. The "regalia" of higher education is interesting and the goal seems to be that the oddest looking one wins the prize. I thought I looked quite distinguished in my black gown with the blue bars indicating doctor of education. In comparison to those around me, however, I looked rather ordinary. My friend Ryan was just behind me in the procession. His gown was bright red and had shields representing his college sewn to the black velvet on the front. His bars had gold piping on the edges. One professor in front of me had a gown that looked more like a long flowing cape. It was red and blue and he wore a coordinating shirt and tie. His large, ornate, red and blue cap had a wide floppy brim and was adorned with a feather. I was told that he earned his degree overseas somewhere, perhaps England or Australia. The college president wore a white gown with a large gold medallion around his neck. It was like attending a fancy dress party. After the ceremony was over, one prof rode off on his bicycle, in a hurry to get to his next class, gown flapping out behind him like something you might see in a movie.

The ceremony was quite nice. At the end of the ceremony, new faculty members were commissioned and I rose with my peers to accept this "God-given office." As I sat in that auditorium listening to the beautiful organ music, I was filled with gratitude for the opportunities I have been given to pursue my education. College was not an opportunity available to my parents, but I knew from a young age that it was their dream that that opportunity would be available to my sisters and me and that they would support us as much as possible in pursuit of that dream. After graduation, I got married and my wonderful husband has continued to support me as I continued my studies in graduate school. As my children got older, they joined in to encourage me to pursue this final degree. And all the time, in the background, my parents have been cheering me on. Thank you to all the friends who took classes with me and gave me encouragement and to all of my family members who continually told me I could do this. I am so grateful to have had these opportunities and I couldn't have done it without your support.