The month of May always makes me nostalgic.
As I watch graduates walk across the stage (or, like yesterday, drive up in their cars!), I reflect on the thousands of students I have seen take similar walks and, of course, I remember my own walks across those stages. Commencement day is full of hope and promise, pride and celebration, gratitude and accomplishment. Whenever I speak to a student who is thinking of skipping the ceremony, I remind them that the day is not only for them, but also for their family and friends who have supported them in the journey.
I have experienced commencement ceremonies under tornado watches and winter storm warnings and through rainstorms and searing heat, and at every one, people gather, ignoring the weather, laser-focused on their graduate, looking for that perfect photo, waiting for the smile or wave or shaka from the stage.
In the days when I had a smaller role in the ceremony, I watched the array of shoes that came across the stage. High-top athletic shoes, slippahs, high-heeled sandals, or boots; each student displayed a bit of themselves in their choice of footwear, often the only apparel that the gown did not cover. Some graduates clearly had stage fright, wanting to do that handshake and get off the stage as soon as possible. Others beamed at the audience or threw in a couple of dance steps. During COVID-19 times, I have noticed the array of masks, hiding much of the smile, though I can still see it in their eyes. Glittery masks, plain black masks, aloha print masks: each reflects a bit of a graduate’s personality.
This year, we celebrate 50 years of baccalaureate graduates from UH-Hilo, the impact of which can be seen throughout this community as we see teachers, business owners, medical professionals, government employees, and scores of others making contributions to our state and our island every day in their jobs, raising families in our communities, and sending another generation of students to UH-Hilo. Some of the people who participated in these commencement ceremonies have been older students, many parents themselves, setting an example for their own children of perseverance and hard work.
When I have a moment to look out into the audience at commencement (or like yesterday, look into the carload of folks accompanying the graduate), I always look for the moms. Just like with the masks and the smiles of the graduates, expressions on mothers’ faces say it all: tears, smiles, pride, relief, joy, hope. Regardless of the weather, these expressions shine through and inspire me to reflect on my own mother’s experience. May is also the month that we celebrate Mother’s Day after all!
While my mother, just like many of the mothers of our graduates, did not have the opportunity to attend college when she was young, she set the expectation early that her daughter would attend. When I was in high school, she took college classes at the local community college, especially art classes, where she was able to hone her skills as an artist and get a little taste of the life her daughter was about to experience.
She had laid the groundwork for my college degree long before I went to school by purchasing a book called “Teaching Your Baby to Read.” I remember those flashcards, followed by the Dr. Seuss books, and myriad other books with which I always surrounded myself. When I headed off to college, I planned to study business or law, but when I discovered that I could have a career that included continuing to read great books, I was sold. Degrees in literature followed, all stemming from those early years when my mother taught me how to read.
For most of us, Mom is our first teacher, and the beginning of our educational journey. For all the grads out there this month, take the time to thank your teachers, your family, your friends, but especially your mom!
Congratulations to our UH-Hilo Class of 2021! Imua!
Bonnie D. Irwin is chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Her column appears monthly in the Tribune-Herald.