Life as a summer reporter or: How I learned to stop worrying and love graduations

(Photo from my college graduation - May 2009)

Last night I covered my 18th graduation in three years. That's what happens when you're an intern, or the youngest reporter, or the education reporter - and I've been all three.

Everyone I know who has to cover a graduation complains about it in some way - they're boring, too long, too hot and all the same. They're right, but I found myself actually volunteering to cover extra graduations for other reporters who didn't want to this year. And now that I'm done covering graduations probably forever since I'm going to law school next year, I don't really know how I feel about it. Relief, maybe. Joy, kind of. A strange sort of emptiness, definitely.

Reporters can leave graduations before diplomas are conferred and after all the speeches, so if you factor that in, the time put into each graduation is about an hour. But also consider the hour it takes to write the story. And sometimes graduations run longer. This year, it seemed like every principal in the state was retiring, so that means longer speeches from some of those principals and from everyone else congratulating and thanking them. Also, in some cases, like with community colleges or tech schools, there aren't many student speakers, so you have to stick around afterward to get quotes. Then there are the graduations where you have speakers and diplomas then a sit-down dinner before more speakers. So let's add all that up and figure I've spent about an entire work week in three years covering nothing but graduations. That's a huge chunk of my life. Of course it feels weird never having to cover one again.

And here's what I learned to love about graduations: They're so happy and full of hope. You've got graduates going off to college or the workforce or more vocational training, and the opportunities just seem endless - and they talk about it. And you've got proud families who may not have thought this day would come. You've got student speakers telling their fellow graduates that they can change the world - and they really believe it. I was definitely a little more cynical by the time my college graduation came around, but I still remember my high school graduation and my senior year of high school when my yearbook quote was Margaret Mead's "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." I could say my high school graduation was ruined since it started outside and had to be moved inside because of the rain (and the front seats my parents got because I was in the top 10 were basically useless because there was a mad rush inside where reserved seats didn't matter), but in general, I remember it as a great day. It's your last day with your entire class, with all the people you've spent your last 4 to 13 years with. It's a day where everyone makes you feel like you've accomplished the greatest thing in the world, and you feel like you can do anything, hence my senior yearbook quote. That's pretty cool for a 17-year-old.

I've seen my share of bad graduations where local politicians and adults talk too long and graduates get restless. I've also seen graduations better organized than others. I've listened to the same songs over and over again (i.e. "For Good" and "I Hope You Dance"). But in the end, it's important to remember that the day is about the graduates, who are starting a whole new chapter in their lives. Even though I left graduations completely exhausted (I often had to park way far away from the ceremony), I couldn't help but feel proud of all the graduates I covered. And they remind me of how I felt at my high school graduation. Their sense of hope and outlook on life is really contagious.