Welcome to Graduation
“Good morning, look at the valedictorian scared of the future while I hop in the Delorean…”
By Jarrod Castillo Editor
Imagine yourself in a somewhat encumbering gown, walking with thousands of other students to the tune of Sir Edward Elgar’s 1901 hit, “Pomp and Circumstance.”
That day will arrive faster than you could ever fathom, whether you like it or not.
In 2014, when I first walked onto the Long Beach State campus as a wide-eyed freshman, I was overwhelmed by the scope of it all, from the buildings to the classrooms. I was so overwhelmed that after my first 8 a.m. class, I was about 30 to 45 minutes late to my second class, Elementary Algebra and Geometry.
In my defense, I had about 15 minutes to get across campus from my first class to my math class and the building in which that class was located in was somewhat confusing. Nevertheless, that was one of my first introductions to the differences between college life and high school life. The other big moments were battling other students for parking during the first week of class and failing a class for the first time in my academic career. But I’ll get to that later.
On May 25, 2018 I woke up to graduate, which, if I’m being completely honest, took me by surprise. My brain kept trying to tell me that everything was a dream because of how fast it all went by. But I knew that after that day, my life would be turned upside down.
Gone are the days of worrying about turning in homework assignments, my GPA or even getting six hours of sleep. Those have now been replaced with anxieties over getting a well-paying job, getting a job at all, budgeting expenses, finding a place to live and more.
Even with all that stress, having a good group of friends there to support you and pick you up when you’re down is one of the great things of being part of a large campus. You’re more likely to find people who can empathize with you, especially those that are in a similar place in their lives, whether you’re a fresh-faced freshman or a hardened transfer.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to try everything at least once, be it joining clubs, sports teams or even the school magazine or newspaper. People that you meet in those club meetings could potentially become friends and, who knows, maybe help you get a job or opportunity down the line. Always be nice to those around you because someday, they can be the ones that can help you out.
On that same vein, perhaps one of the most important resources you can utilize on campus is Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). With all that is going on in today’s world, sometimes dealing with everything can be overwhelming and it’s completely fine to feel that way.
During my sophomore year, I was not in a good place mentally. I was being forced to pursue a career I wanted no part in, and any decision I made that didn’t conform to that career would result in me feeling like I wasn’t good enough and a failure.
I began to lose sleep, weight and my relationships took a hit as well. Soon, I was failing most of my classes. These factors became an inescapable avalanche chasing me down a mountain, and I eventually hit rock bottom.
That was perhaps the lowest point in my life. It seemed like I was in a tunnel with no bright light at the end of it. But going to CAPS and talking to the trained professionals there helped me find my way out, and they provided resources to eventually get me the help that I needed outside of campus.
Graduation seems so far away, but trust me when I say that before you know it, you’ll be walking down the grassy path to the stage. Until then, cherish every second that you have, taking the good with the bad, because those experiences are the ones that will help mold you into the person that you’ll become in the future.
Although both starting college and transitioning to life after college is scary, don’t be discouraged if your life takes on some 808s and Heartbreaks. Who knows, maybe what comes after could be like a Beautiful (dark, twisted) Fantasy.
