#11: What It Means to Be a 2020 Grad
Here's your first late night newsletter! Maybe read it tomorrow morning with a cup of coffee ☕️.
I've been struggling to write this week's introduction. I'm graduating college tomorrow (virtually, of course), and I feel ready and not ready at all, excited and nervous, and old and young, all at the same time. It's a mixed bag of emotions. I'm still processing what graduating college really means, but I am also excited to celebrate with the people I love and to start this new chapter of my life.
If you asked me the question – "how do you feel about graduating this year?" – about four months ago, I wouldn't have said finding a job or moving to a new city. I would've shared my fear of never being with my best friends in the same place, at the same time, under the same roof, ever again. The word "never" can be really scary.
If you ask me the same question now, that wouldn't be my answer. If there is one positive of this pandemic, it's that my friends and I have already proved to ourselves that we can stay in touch and maintain our close friendships even while far apart, spread out across the world. They've been right there with me (well, on the screen) while working out, scarfing down breakfast, running outside, watching movies and crying in bed. The highs and the lows. It's not the same as being together in person, but the zoom calls have gotten me through quarantine and have helped me prepare for what's to come.
Graduating right now is anti-climatic and feels a little trivial, given what's going on in the world; however, it is worth celebrating. I'm a big believer in celebrating the small wins, the big wins and everything in between. I'm extremely grateful for all of the people and opportunities Northwestern has given me, and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead. Let's not live in fear.
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