Graduation: A Spectator’s Perspective

It’s not just what you do, it’s how hard you had to work to do it that counts.

I was always the smart one in the family, it was a given — to others as well as myself — that I’d go to college. School was easy for me. Of course I worked hard, still do, but negotiating the ins and outs of academia is as natural and comfortable for me as the balance beam is to an olympic gymnast. I’m a professional student, plain and simple.

It wasn’t like that for my cousin Robert. He’s a year younger than me and in many ways we grew up together, he’s more like a brother to me than a cousin (with all the hassles and love that title entails) Robert was an average student. A total math whiz but english and reading always gave him trouble. School was always something I chose because it was the easier alternative. For Rob the easier way would have been to join the work world but he stuck it out anyway. Which is why I was so incredibly proud today.

Seeing him walk across the stage and down the stairs in his cap and gown brought tears of joy to my eyes. His dad died unexpectedly when he was 14. Since then money was always a worry for him. He’s been working various part time jobs since he was 16. For the past year he’s been working almost 40hrs a week out in Paoli (a two hour commute each way by public trans) and taking classes at the same time. Would I have been able to do it that way? Who knows. All I know is he DID and I’m damn proud!

“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you the graduating class of 2002!”

I screamed and whooped and cheered with the intensity of a philly sports fan, giddy with excitement. Aunt Debbie and cousin Tommy had tears in their eyes. The first LaFauci to graduate college…

The reception toast was bittersweet and recognized how hard he’d worked and how proud we all were. Tommy had everyone in tears. Bubbling into the bubbly. Then the tears turned to laughter as me, Brian, Vashti, Robert and Holly stood talking, sharing in over a decade of memories. I’m really glad Holly could make it to the party. It’s really neat and wonderful how they’ve stayed friends through all the crazy stuff that’s happened from summer ’95 on. It was weird too remembering aloud how many years we’ve all spent standing around talking like this and how adulthood snuck up on us. And yet even now “all growed up” we’re still together, standing around talking 🙂

Yo Bert! You did it!!!!!!!

Congratulations Cuz!

Love Steph