“The world is waiting for us to graduate from ourselves.”- Shannon L. Adler

Four years ago, I was impatiently waiting for my day to graduate from high school. Despite my best efforts, I had succumbed to what is affectionately termed as “senioritis” and I was just ready to get done with the polo shirts, the lockers, a block schedule, and a early commute every morning. Yes, I would miss my friends and I would miss the unique atmosphere of an all girls school, but I was ready.

In a little more than a couple weeks, I will be graduating again. But this time, the word “graduation” means something different. It means leaving the security blanket of school and hopefully making something of myself. It means seizing a wonderful opportunity to serve people for a year in another state (more on that closer to time). And more tangibly, it means getting done with all these papers and projects that have been chasing me up and down an invisible roller coaster for the past month.

Like Ms. Adler says, I will be graduating from myself. In a way. My true and complete graduation from myself will take place (hopefully) far in the future, but that is not the graduation that I speak of.

I will graduate from being a student (after about 18 years), concerned mostly with completing homework and receiving helpful judgments called grades.

I will graduate into a life of giving my thoughts and my aid to others.

I will graduate into a world that I know will have puddles, but also rainbows.

I (hope) to (someday) graduate into becoming a wife and a mother.

And most importantly, I will graduate into a Sarah who will remember to love and listen and change.