Pomp and Circumstance

Its the end of May and so graduation has been on my mind lately.

Its been one year since my wife graduated from college. Hard to believe!

She went back to school, signing up for classes in 2001, to get a degree that she always wanted. She also got pregnant with Josh that same Fall! So while it took longer than four years, Michelle graduated with her Bachelors in 2008 and we are all so proud of her!

I graduated from St. Vincent College in Latrobe in 1991! It doesn't seem that long ago!

For the longest time I thought I would go in to law. Courtrooms always fascinated me and I was blessed with a gift for gab that I thought would be put to good use in situations like that! But when I declared my major I went in to accounting.

That lasted one semester!

About half-way through I realized that the gentleman teaching me accounting 101 could not add. He was a whiz at law, but even at 8:00 am it was pretty obvious that I didn't want to do this for a living.

To be fair it wasn't all that one teacher's fault. I had a heck of a time adjusting to college. I never had to study in High School so college was a big surprise. You actually had to DO work...not just give back to the teacher what they told you!

So by the middle of the semester I was ready to change majors and stopped going to my accounting class...except for the tests...which I failed miserably! LOL!

That was the one and only time I ever failed a class on any level!

So with no idea what I wanted to do a friend invited me to meet the head of the Communication department, Fr. Andrew Campbell.

There was a pizza party (and what college freshman is going to pass up free pizza?) in what passed as the television studio on campus. What it really was was a large white room in the basement of one of the dorms. They had two cameras and an old switcher and some VHS tape machines. (This was 1988 remember.)

I fell in love with the place instantly!

The next year I was knee deep in speech classes and mass media classes. I started hosting a radio show (which could only be heard on campus...and then just barely) one night a week.

By my Junior year I was working for Fr. Andrew and heading the Radio Club.

Senior year we were producing a weekly television show, hosting the radio show once a week, video taping the events on campus and handling the in-campus television station.

Needless to say I was in heaven!

Graduation came too fast senior year. That last semester was the exact opposite of my first one. I was taking only two classes (both lower level ones needed to fill requirements) and had three independent studies with Fr. Andrew. Basically I had to do my job and turn some papers in!

We had a blast that year!

But all good things must come to an end and graduation brought that great big dose of reality that we all get at some point in our lives.

I was working three jobs...two different radio stations that each had an AM and FM location, plus for my Dad...dating a girl from college and generally running all the time.

A year or so later I had one job and no girlfriend and lots of free time!

But I digress.

I doubt I'll ever be asked to speak at any commencement ceremonies so here is what I would tell any graduates if I had the chance:

Do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do.

You to get live your life only once, but you can change your path at any time.

No one gets everything right the first time...or every time. Mistakes are part of life and if you think you don't make them then you aren't trying hard enough!

Stop sometimes and look at where you are and remember where you came from. Those two things are more important then where you think you are going.

Material things are just that...things. Things can be replaced. Don't hold on to tightly to things that are dear to you. Hold on to the people who hold you dear.

And remember that its OK to stand up for what you believe in, but also remember that someone else may disagree just as strongly with you...and they think its OK to stand up for what they believe in too.

~ Glenn