Spring on a university campus used to be a time of celebrations. Both joyful and exhausting, the events marked meaningful transitions of all sorts. And then for two years it just wasn’t the same.
We got creative and honored retirees and graduates with video tributes and Zoom celebrations. The heart and warmth were there, but it was not clear how much of the human connection we were missing until it all started coming back this year. Laughter and joy have returned, even if we are often masked and still a little distanced, and most of us are awkwardly getting out in public again. Eating in a restaurant! Flying to Honolulu! Meetings in person! Having someone place a lei around your neck instead of handing it to you! And, for the first time in three years, an in-person UH-Hilo Commencement ceremony at Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium.
Yesterday’s Commencement was my first big spring celebration at UH-Hilo. Joyful students and proud ‘ohana, dignitaries and faculty and staff all came together to celebrate the meaningful transition for our students to begin their next chapter as alumni. It was a glorious day, and I so appreciated seeing everyone, but, more than ever, we send our alumni out into a brave new world, and that weight we always put on their backs to change the world seems even heavier now. We celebrate the students’ accomplishments, but we still worry over their future.
We’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of years discussing what we have missed, but as we return to whatever we consider normal, it is also a good time to reflect on what we have gained. Many of us picked up new hobbies and habits. For example, I have never seen so many photos of homemade bread and sewing projects on social media! Some of us learned to look upon the natural world again with wonder. When one does not leave one’s own backyard, one sees things that may have always been there, but that was never noticed before. One of my friends started posting a single photo every day, starting with shots in her home and yard, and eventually venturing down the street or across town, seeing her world with new eyes.
Many of us became more contemplative, and as we reflected on our lives, we thought about changes we would like to make. The Great Resignation opened up numerous opportunities for our graduating students, as employers have even more jobs to fill. Many folks learned that they can do their work from a distance, which means that some of our students can get jobs elsewhere, but stay here at home to do those jobs.
We send our graduates out into a world with numerous challenges, but numerous opportunities as well. Those students who walked across the stage yesterday did so with hope, as all their predecessors did, but they also leave us with a different set of skills than those of earlier classes. They have had to be even more resilient and resourceful, creative and tenacious, and perhaps above all, patient.
COVID made the world slow down, and often that was a good thing, as it gave us time to think and feel in a different way than we had in the past. But for those on a course to finish their degree, the slowness probably sometimes felt like a burden. They had to be patient with us as we figured out the online world; they had to adapt to constant change. They had to stop and think about their families and friends, but also about themselves. Thoughts that we used to suppress came to the fore: What are healthy behaviors? What is in my best interests? How can I help my community see this through? What do I really want to do with my life?
And now for many the world comes rushing back. We are not only doing more and more things in person, but we are also making up for lost time. We are quenching our thirst for company with long-postponed commemorations and celebrations of life’s transitions. But I hope our graduates do not lose that newfound patience and savor every minute. They’ve earned it.
Bonnie D. Irwin is chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Her column appears monthly in the Tribune-Herald.