My DIPLOMA. MY DIPLOMA.
I never imagined that yesterday November 30 during my mundane lunch breaks I would find an email announcing my diploma is coming. I was so excited to the point I told my coworker who also went to Cal, but I quickly forgot about the email once my lunch break ended and the rush of patients came in.
After I checked my email tonight (December 1, 2020), I finally found the email again. How funny that it seemed like a week ago for me when it was only a day, but when I downloaded my diploma....I never imagined (well maybe I did back when I daydreamed of graduating back when I was a freshman in college) that I would cried, squealed, clasped my hands to my face and stare at my digital diploma on my 5 year old laptop covered in stickers that I collected throughout senior year of college. I was so proud and relieved when I stared at the text "COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES" after bracing myself the fear it would be marked as Rausser, whom I do not know nor wish to name my college after him since I believe my college should not be labeled under a person's name since college belonged to all of us. The little text of "DISTINCTION" reminded me that despite after going through a tumultuous spring semester and jam packed online summer semester at home, the hard work, the suffering, the nights full of learning and talking with my classmates, professors, GSIs, friends, family, church and God were all well spent.
I know it's only a few pixels on my screen, a digital file on my aging computer, but when I shared it with my family...I can't helped myself in being proud and wrapping up my time at Cal this year, our year as class of 2020. My mom was also so happy to hear this news as well, and that made my day. I let her know that my physical one is coming in the mail in the next few weeks. I didn't imagined myself writing a blog post on it, since I haven't touched my blog in a few months ever since I started working. I still wished I was a student and to have those fun senior memories, to have commencements and simply walk and cry with my classmates and friends, but I can at least savor these special moments.
Thank you everyone for believing in me.
