Everyone. I finally did it. I graduated from college. I was actually supposed to graduate back in 2021, but things happen and sometimes we have to take a break.
I got my BA degree in writing and although my in-laws say it is a useless degree, in my heart I know that it is not. I am extremely grateful for the support I got from my family throughout my college journey.
My daughter and my boyfriend being present meant so much to me, along with my parents.
I remember when I was on a phone call with my dad and I was like: “it’s not gonna be important.” And what was his response? “What do you mean not important?” It’s very fucking important! You went through so many challenges but you persevered, don’t let anyone ruin your special day, be proud of yourself for your achievements.” When he said those words to me I then realized it was all true. I faced struggles such as not being able to attend campus at times due to not having a car and having to pay Uber all the time, I had to make sure my daughter would be in good hands while I would go to school. I had to stay up late at night to make sure my essays were well written. My priority has always been my daughter, but I always managed to make sure that my assignments were turned in on time because my professors should not have pity on me for being a mom. Being a mom can sometimes be difficult, but I did not use that as an excuse to give up. Instead I told myself that I want to inspire my daughter to not give up on her dreams, I never saw her as an obstacle in my academic journey. Although my in-law told me it was useless of my daughter to be present at my graduation, I didn’t care, her presence is what mattered most to me.
My boyfriend bought me a beautiful white dress from Akira. I felt like a complete star wearing it for my graduation! I felt like a true princess in it.
One of the most memorable aspects of my graduation experience was the sense of accomplishment and pride that washed over me as I walked across the stage to receive my diploma. It was a culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. The cheers from family and friends in the audience echoed the support and love that had propelled me forward during the toughest of times. My graduation was not just about receiving a diploma—it was about embracing the journey, embracing the challenges, and emerging stronger, and ready to take on whatever the future may hold. My graduation does not mean I’ll be successful right away in getting my dream job. I have had people tell me they graduated from college but they did not work in something related to their field right away, it takes time. Some people are lucky after graduation, and for others, it takes time. But I believe that it is all worth it. I did not just attend school to get good grades, because let’s be real, what company is gonna ask you what your grades are? Apart from passing all my classes, I was able to form friendships and connect with my professors. I was able to realize that my degree in writing does not limit me to only focus on writing but that I can use it as a school for other types of careers such as recruiting or content creation.
My graduation is something I will never forget and I will not give up on finding my dream job!
About the Creator
Diani Alvarenga
“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of.”
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Creative Writing Forever
There is no doubt that I love to write, it is my dream to become a feature writer, or a contributing writer. I would love to see my stories in magazines. Before I made the decision to major in English, I thought that I should not go for an English major because I believed that I should only go for the things I am good at, I am not a poetry expert, nor expert in understanding a text right away, I am not a proofreader; so I used to think that writing is not going to get me anywhere. But that is completely untrue. I remember how in one of my poetry courses, my professor wrote down quotes from other writers and what they had to say about writing. One author said “Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a piece of blank paper until your forehead bleeds.” I realized that there is no such thing as writing an article in two or five minutes; writing requires you to be patient, to clear your thoughts, to sometimes do research. Even when having passion for something you write about, you still need to take your time. I remember that in my Latin X literature course we read a book called I am not your perfect mexican daughter and already just by taking a look at the title I knew what I would be reading about. My initial thoughts before reading it were that I would be reading about a girl who does not want to follow tradition, a girl who feels misunderstood by her family. I really liked reading the story, and I felt that I connected with the protagonist (Julia) in the story. Like the protagonist, I am also from Chicago and I used to live in apartments that were infested with roaches; and living like that was the just the worst. Another way I felt connected to her was in how she did not focus on being perfect, she wanted to be herself and not get judged for it. Reading this story made me think of my boyfriend’s family because they do tend to think that a woman needs to do certain things to be considered a woman. So, what does all this have to do with me majoring in English? Well, for me, my journey in this pathway has helped me to see that I do not need to be perfect to become a writer; this is not to say I can just write sloppily, but it is perfectly okay to struggle the first couple times. When I joined the Chronicle, an online magazine at North Central College, instead of getting told I would no longer write because I lacked skills like SEO or grammar, the editors were kind enough to explain to me how I can improve my articles. Joining The Chronicle became one of the turning points for me in continuing my major in English; because of The Chronicle, I finally knew exactly what I wanted to do with my major in English, which is to become a feature writer for a magazine. Despite my boyfriend’s family thinking that a major only matters if I make a lot of money and that they see it as a waste of time for me to be writing, I feel that writing is my vocation, and I cannot just quit just because I may fail a couple times, and if there is something that I learned while majoring in English is that even though it can sometimes be annoying, or stressful, I feel that every other major is like that; we can not like certain things about our majors and at the same time also love it. I really did not want to take a course on British Literature, however I did enjoy some of the texts; I liked reading Modern Fiction by Virginia Woolf. In Modern Fiction Virginia Woolf wants writers to write what they feel in their hearts, not write for the pleasure of others. I have been following Woolf’s advice because I want to not feel limited in my major. I think that a major should allow you to grow, it should not suffocate you and to me being an English Major means being able to explore different ideas, and being open to different point of views. Reading Modern Fiction, I would consider it to be another turning point because the essay helped me to understand that I do not have to follow a specific method to become successful in my major, I should not feel controlled as an English major but instead feel free, I should feel free to write what comes to my mind and not write what others would like to read because if I write for the pleasure of everybody else, it just feels like I am not being my own person in something that I want to do for the rest of my life.
By Diani Alvarenga9 months ago in Education
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The NEBOSH IGC (International General Certificate) course is more than just a safety certification; it's a transformative journey that equips individuals with essential skills in health, safety, and environmental management. Understanding the significance of a NEBOSH certificate and the NEBOSH full form (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) is the first step towards realizing the immense value this course offers. Moreover, exploring NEBOSH course fees and specifically the NEBOSH course fees in Saudi Arabia sheds light on the accessibility and benefits of pursuing this internationally recognized qualification.
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Fangs of Light
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Comments (2)
Good job on graduating
Congratulations and you should be absolutely proud of yourself!