Graduation Day!

I earned a new title yesterday...mother of a college graduate.  It comes with a few more wrinkles and immense pride at what my 21 year old has accomplished.

She started at a smaller school that really didn't suit her and then transferred at the start of her sophomore year to The Ohio State University.  We had our reservations about her being at such a large school but also wanted her to be happy, so we rented an apartment and moved her in.

I was worried about this big school.  Worried that she'd get lost, that she wouldn't get individual attention, worried that she'd stray from the path her father and I had put her on.  But as the year went on, I quickly realized that all that worrying was for naught.

She had big classes (her general requirements) but she had many small classes.  Her professors took an interest in her and as the years progressed she excelled and realized that she had a knack for both English and French.  Her adviser helped her write a great resume and professors were more than happy to write recommendations for graduate school. Because of her majors, she really had a small school experience within the largest school in the United States.

I'll readily admit that the past 4 years were not without drama and anxious days.  She learned that relationships can change (both male and female), that she could do many things for herself and that her father and I would be here to help and support.

She lived this last semester by herself and discovered that she didn't mind being alone.  She has learned to cook and shop for herself, manage her household, hold down a job and still walk away with great grades.  She interviewed for a coveted spot in the PhD program and was rewarded for all her hard work with tuition and a stipend.

I'd like to sit back and pat myself on the back for all this.  But the truth is, we provided the foundation, she took what we gave her and ran.  She worked hard, got better grades in college than she did in high school. She surrounded herself with good friends who also are goal-oriented.  This is about her abilities and her potential.

Yesterday we sat in the stadium with 60,000+ people all there to celebrate the 10,200 graduates of the 406th graduating class of The Ohio State University, each with their own story to get to this point.  It was a massive celebration and no one was celebrating more than the Butler family!