Let The Countdown Begin – Graduation 2019
University life is going to end shortly; a chapter slowly coming to an end.
Some of us get sentimental because it’s time to bid farewell. We tread around campus dissecting memories created in the last three or four years, relishing every memory. From our first encounters with our peers to the sad reality that we are about to go separate ways.
I would like to propose a toast to UCSI University’s Class of 2019!
To those who buried their noses in their books while constantly ignoring how heavy their eyes felt in the wee hours of the morning. To those who spent countless nights with their hearts pounding inside their ribcages after taking too many cups of coffee. To those who dove in head first to all life brought their way. Because you held on tight throughout the rollercoaster ride, kept surviving and here you are today. Some days started better than others, some nights peaceful than others, but you stood firm through it all. University life is a taste of the real world. There is more to university life than just acquiring a degree or diploma. This is one of the places you get to introduce yourself to the world independently and allow yourself to be whoever you want to be.
There is more to being a student than just fulfilling academic requirements. Being a student isn’t only about survival but thriving and discipline as to written rules. It’s more about learning and knowing your mistakes as well as those we choose to surround ourselves with. The ones we tend to miss the most. All my senior friends made my journey more meaningful than it was meant to be. They are the ones I forever wish I had met earlier, the ones who helped me navigate my way through UCSI. It’s heartbreaking to watch them officially leave, even though this enables us to look back at the times we spent together. Maybe some of us will cross paths in the future and stay in each other’s lives whereas some will disappear.
It’s not going to be the same without your presence here. However this is an opportunity to explore another phase of life. Another opportunity to start afresh, but with much greater consequences. I mean, the older we get the higher the stakes become, right? But most all, life does not come with a handbook telling us what we are supposed to achieve at a certain age in our lives. Each one of us has a different timeframe. And never compare your progress to the next person. We all encounter different difficulties and embrace challenges differently. We all face obstacles, but triumph over our battles.
Goodbyes are never easy, because no matter what, we will never be fully prepared for them. We ought to be brave enough to face the next page of our lives. We can be determined but unsure, bold but cautious and strong-minded but soft-hearted. Life will always be a contrasting assortment of good and bad and right and wrong.
SO, ARE YOU READY?