Commentary: Congratulations. Sorry. Thank you. - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Congratulations!

Probably the most overused phrase during graduation — and the most undervalued.

Each and every one of you have obtained your degree during a global pandemic and entered into a racial revolution, the size of which we have never seen before. Your hard work and perseverance are nothing short of phenomenal!

I have the upmost respect for everything you have accomplished and everything that you have evolved into. You are resilient, tenacious, and, above all, deserving. Congratulations, however, is not the only phrase that may be appropriate right now.

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I’m sorry!

Although it’s not on me to apologize for global academic systems, an apology is still warranted. I feel it needs to be said and I feel you need to hear it. I’m sorry that you did not have the graduation ceremony that you were merited. I’m sorry that most academic institutions did not do more to acknowledge and commemorate your grand accomplishment — virtually or otherwise.

I’m sorry that some individuals began a campaign to share pictures of their own respective graduation ceremonies, oblivious to the repercussions on your feelings. You neither cannot, nor should not, celebrate your graduation vicariously through the nostalgic narcissism of others. While it may have not been done in malice, it was inappropriate nonetheless.

I’m particularly disheartened for those students who are first-generation graduates, for the sting is especially painful. Being a first-generation graduate myself, I am familiar with the ascendancy of walking across the stage and its signification for loved ones. You were the first to graduate in your family and are now a paragon, forging a path for your loved ones to follow in your footsteps. You exemplify and empower!

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Thank you!

Those words cannot be said enough. Thank you for allowing me and other professors and instructors to teach you. Thank you for being open to growth and instruction. Thank you for questioning, probing, and pushing back when necessary. Thank you for teaching us, just as much as we endeavored to teach you. I have learned empathy, compassion, strength and purpose from my students. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we migrated your courses online. None of us, students and faculty alike, could have expected to learn such valuable life lessons in the span of two months, but we did it. You did it! Gracias!

In all sincerity, there are no words that can truly capture the resolution of the class of 2020. And that resolution is needed now more than ever! Felicidades 2020 graduates! Suerte y best wishes!

Thank you for allowing me and other professors and instructors to teach you. Thank you for being open to growth and instruction. Thank you for questioning, probing, and pushing back when needed.

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Rodriguez is an assistant professor of digital media in the Journalism & Media Studies program at San Diego State University, who lives in the College Area.

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Commentary: Congratulations. Sorry. Thank you. - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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