Ten Years Since I Graduated College: Some Memories and Three Lessons Learned
On Sunday, May 8, 2011, my classmates and I from the Wheaton College Class of 2011 celebrated our graduation in a standing room-only Edman Memorial Chapel. It was a gorgeous day on campus with freshly planted flowers in full bloom and a few wisps of clouds in an otherwise bright blue sky. I remember a few vivid moments from that day:
The quiet in our apartment as my roommates and I woke up and got ready for the morning’s baccalaureate service.
Walking to campus with my roommate Jeff while the surrounding neighborhoods were still sleepy except for one man out working on his car who noticed Jeff and me in our caps and gowns and congratulated us.
Choking up with emotion while singing the final stanza of “May the Mind of Christ My Savior” during baccalaureate: “May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea…”
Artfully displayed mountains of bread, fruit, and cheese at Commencement brunch, and having a moment to introduce my parents to President Ryken.
And then our afternoon commencement ceremony itself, watching our faculty process in their multi-colored academic regalia; hearing encouraging and challenging words from our commencement speaker Lisa Beamer, widow of 9/11 victim Todd Beamer; hearing my dean, Dr. Michael Wilder, read my name and in a flash I took a few steps across the stage, shook hands with President Ryken, and returned to my seat; a great cheer when we presented our senior class gift, a new scholarship fund for international students; and finally recessing onto the sun-drenched plaza for hugs and handshakes and pictures with friends, faculty, and family. All to culminate four remarkable years of personal, intellectual, and spiritual growth that set in motion my adult life.
With my parents at Wheaton College on Commencement Sunday, May 8, 2011
Ten years hence, the world and my world has changed in many ways. As I found myself approaching this ten-year anniversary of my graduation, I wondered what would be meaningful, even to me, to put in writing by way of reflection. I settled on highlighting three lessons I learned in the last ten years.
There is so much I have yet to learn
This became evident to me right away as I entered the stressful process of searching for a job. An offer letter for my first professional appointment, as assistant band director for Hadley Junior High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, came less than a week before the start of classes. So that August was a bit of a whirlwind, and I found myself with a steep learning curve even after a rigorous teacher education program as I found myself responsible for my own classes, now on the other side of the proverbial desk.
Just thinking about the myriad jobs I have had in ten years (middle school band director, concert production manager, nonprofit finance manager, church musician) I would estimate well over half of the skills I used in those jobs were not ones I had on May 8, 2011. I am very grateful for all of my bosses along the way who made sure I had access to and time to use the resources I needed to develop my skills, as well as for the liberal arts foundation that equipped me to be a lifelong learner.
And thankfully, I never lost my eagerness to learn new things. And not just professionally and intellectually, but personally and socially. I am sure that I am a much more interesting person to get coffee with now than I was ten years ago.
The darkness in this world runs very, very deep
It was relatively easy in the sheltered cocoon of my small residential liberal arts college to ignore most of what was going on in the outside world. What Great Recession? (I say that to my shame; I wish I had had even an ounce of awareness of the anxiety most of the adult employees on campus were probably feeling.)
Then I entered the proverbial real world. I had students, colleagues, and family members with scary health issues. Really difficult (and sometimes publicly known) situations at various institutions where I worked, or institutions that are simply near and dear to me. Suicides. A law enforcement system that too often fails Black Americans with deadly consequences. Constant downward spirals of misinformation, often intentional. The Covid-19 pandemic. There is a lot of pain in this world, and a lot of it, we cause to one another, in what we have done and what we have left undone. Myself included. Kyrie eleison.
The grace of God runs ever deeper
And is manifested through the people who have been with me all the way. Through Naomi. Through my parents. Through my bosses and coworkers and pastors and mentors and teachers and friends. Through God perfectly arranging each successive job offer, side gig, networking opportunity, or completely ordinary encounter with another human being in just the time and place I needed.
And over ten years I have heard story after story after story from the people around me about how the grace of God has manifested in their own lives, and been privileged to watch some of those stories unfolding in real time. I have learned to look for those stories, and to amplify them, while praying that in doing so I am spreading a little bit of hope for a world that so desperately needs it.
There is a lot of grace in this world. It is relentless, it is endless, and it is overwhelming. And it is beautiful. And I never want to take it for granted.
