Days of Graduation

Friday morning, I was sitting in Pauley Pavilion at UCLA surrounded by thousands of parents for a graduation ceremony (the first of three that day). I’d forgotten how essential these rituals can be. The floor of the stadium was filled with students from the various schools and disciplines who – during their years in college – were forced to fight through a pandemic that killed millions, a social revolution in the streets caused by the killing of unarmed black men by police, school shootings around the country, and myriad other problems that could have permanently ended their education. Instead, they persevered and in some cases thrived. Selah.