Back when I was starting university, the institution made a huge fuss about orientation. There were days of programming filled with events and activities, each one an opportunity to make friends and memories. Being away from home, I was nervous and excited and nervous for the days ahead. That anticipation built until commencement day, on which all first-years would make their inaugural march through the university gates. As the clock reached 9, I opened my laptop, clicked the broadcast link, and watched as a lone bagpipe player walked around the university quad playing “Scotland the Brave.” There were a few speeches after, I think. I’m not too sure; I stopped watching pretty quickly.
As I embark on a new beginning myself, I am reminded of the new beginnings gone past, particularly starting college in the middle of a global pandemic. That first year of college in particular was so strange. My orientation was virtual, my classes were virtual, and almost every conversation I had was virtual. Whenever someone would ask me how I was enjoying higher education, I would tell them that I had never been inside any of the academic buildings, but I knew what they all looked like on the outside.
Eventually, things changed, and I attended in-person classes, sat next to people in dining halls, and high-fived someone for the first time in over a year. Still, those of us from the COVID era never were quite the same as our older or younger peers. We skipped out on traditions, ignored famous events, and fell in love with forgotten parts of the university. It didn’t matter that we were finally given a chance at a “normal” college experience. By that point, it was too late, and we had already developed our own expectations for what college meant to us.
The beginning of our journey strongly controlled the trajectory of our college experience, and knowing that now, I realize these next few months will define so much of my PhD. I may already know the people and the place, but my purpose here is quite different from what it was four years ago. My purpose four years ago was to make it to today, and today, my purpose is to build the foundation of my academic career. There will be similarities between then and now, but I know one thing for sure. When commencement begins, I won’t just be watching on a live broadcast. I’ll be walking through those gates, ready to take on a new beginning.