Episode IX: Graduation (but I’m not Kanye)
The time leading up to graduation was riveting.
Princeton makes sure seniors end their time as students with a bang. They first see three days of reunions and then enjoy a three-day-long graduation ceremony immediately after.
Reunions were the most electric three days I’ve ever seen. The campus seemed like a cult with the orange and black around, and every alum was filled with joy.
Forty thousand people marching down Elm Street is something I couldn’t have possibly imagined in my wildest dreams before Saturday. Now, I know why the alums are so happy to come back.
The first part of the graduation ceremony is the baccalaureate. While many people I know didn’t go, Wendy Kopp made the hot and sticky Chapel a precious experience.
Her message? Stick to your mission.
Wendy’s mission was to reform the American education system, so she created Teach for America and wrote her Princeton senior thesis about it. Three years into founding her company, she almost left to take a high-paying job.
What kept her going? Her mission. The regret of not helping the youth would loom over her forever, and one conversation with her team kept her going.
So, after today, I must not lose sight of my mission. This realization made me reflect on my mission for the past four years: making it to today.
The second day of the graduation ceremony was Class Day, featuring Dr. Fauci, the head of the CDC. His speech was littered with excellent advice on taking calculated risks moving forward, the same sentiment as Mrs. Kopp. The weather was beautiful, and my parents came to see him speak. Talk about a great day.
This leads to commencement. Many thoughts ran through my head before stepping on stage, but the central theme was reflecting on my experience.
As a student, I saw the hardships life presented at Princeton as detrimental. There were so many bumps in the road that I never thought graduation would come.
As a graduate, I’m thankful that the journey wasn’t easy. This place made me ready for literally anything that the world can offer. Pandemic? No problem. Life-altering injury? No problem. Been there, done that.
I told myself that college would be where I turned into a man as a kid. Well, I was right, and I have evolved in the face of adversity to meet any challenge because Princeton teaches us to do that.
What about this place makes us strive to go above and beyond? In short, it’s the people.
Every person I’ve met in my four years here is insanely competitive. We all seek to achieve the best possible life for ourselves, and there’s a reason why Princeton selected my graduating class as candidates for admission.
When you see the people around you doing great things, it inspires you to keep going. To my classmates reading, you showed me that anything is possible. I will forever be grateful for the atmosphere you created, and I’m excited to see you change the world.
Speaking of people, my professors and coaches intellectually challenged me to my limits in each class I took and practice that I participated in. When they demand the best from you, you have no choice but to give it your all and grow over time.
These same professors and coaches were reasonable, caring, and wise. Princeton’s academic opportunities are limitless because the people they choose will go to any extent for their students. Our athletics programs churn out championships because of the people leading young men and women into battle. They taught me so much in such a short time, and for that, I’m thankful.
I came to Princeton as an eager and optimistic eighteen-year-old kid with no sense of self or independence. Princeton provided a shelter for me to intellectually, physically, and mentally evolve into the man I am today and want to move forward.
This couldn’t have happened without many late-night conversations with my closest friends on campus.
I wanted to fit in and feel like I belonged on campus as a freshman. Because of the friendships I’ve built here, I’ve embraced my unique personality and am a much happier person, not caring about the societal norm. They showed me that being myself is more important than any societal standard, and I cannot thank them enough.
Princeton was one incredible journey. I graduated from the best school in the country and did what I set out to do eleven years ago.
I’ve been enjoying life and taking a break from the internet to recoup mentally. This time has been incredible but has also left me wondering about what I can do to maximize my efforts when I’m back.
More specifically, how can I optimize my time as I did at Princeton?
As I’ve stated in previous blogs, I have a lot of missions. One of them is making a change with my voice.
iSight is the most satisfying content to create, but I haven’t optimized my voice because not everyone who sees it will click on the blog.
So, I will be more active on Twitter as a starting point. I have a goal of tweeting every day for an extended period and will achieve it this summer.
This doesn’t mean that I’ll be done making blogs. iSight is reflective and necessary for my personal growth. I just will also use Twitter more often.
The next thing I want to do is make more YouTube videos. One of my personal goals is shooting under 75 in golf (3 over par through 18 holes or better), and until I start working, I will push my mind and body all summer long to achieve this feat. I will first be making content around golf since it is my hyperfocus.
Over the past couple of months, I was able to play some golf at school, but not with my clubs. I was just gifted a new set, and they took a couple of days to get used to.
In my first round of the summer on Friday, I shot 103. Two days later, I hit 85. Even then, I left a LOT of strokes on the course and should’ve shot lower.
Speaking of which, I have a round of golf in a little bit to get to. Thanks for taking the time to read!
