RAMBLE: Graduation

Punahou School Commencement 2012

Tonight I attended my cousin's graduation from high school.  His graduation took me down memory lane when I graduated from Punahou School and stood on the same exact stage to receive my diploma.  Not much has really changed since I graduated.  The Punahou Symphony Orchestra still plays Pomp and Circumstance as the graduates walk into the Blaisdell Arena arm-and-arm with each other.  Sprays of plumeria still adorn the stage backdrop along with the huge Punahou seal.  The graduates still sing Oahu Wa and cheer "Strawberry Shortcake".  But most of all, all the graduates were filled with the same excitement, pride, and hope that I felt when I graduated from high school.

Of all my graduations, my high school graduation meant the most to me.  My college graduation probably rates at the bottom of the three.  It was pretty lackluster.  I barely remember most of what was said or even who the key note speaker was that day.  All I remember was that I was ordered to walk at graduation when my parents found out that I was thinking about skipping the whole thing all together and picking up my diploma from the registrar's office.  I possessed a nonchalant attitude as I strutted down the aisle of the Stan Sheriff Arena.  I received my college diploma without a job lined up or any clue what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Instead, I was intending to re-enroll as a post baccalaureate student until I figured out what in the world I wanted to do with my life.

My law school graduation rates second because that was a personal achievement for me.  Attending and graduating from law school was an accumulation of my effort, perseverance, and a little bit of courage.  Law school was tough, but getting through law school and passing the bar exam was something I wanted to do for myself and I was committed to achieving my goal.  Thus, my graduation was more personal in nature for me.

However, my high school graduation tops my list because the event was a rite of passage.  It was the end of childhood and the beginning to endless possibilities.  I remember standing on stage with the realization that there were so many doors that were open thanks to my parents and family for giving me roots and my teachers for giving me branches.  Now, I needed to find leaves.

My high school graduation was also important for my grandmother who as a young teen was forced to put aside her desire to attend high school in order to help her family.  She truly believed that an education was a master key that opened so many doors and always emphasized our studies.  I am her youngest grandchild, so she didn't think that she would be around when I graduated from high school.  However, thanks to great medical advances and probably good genes, my grandmother lived long enough to see me graduate from high school.  I remember sitting on stage and looking out into the audience and seeing her have with the biggest beaming smile.  After the ceremony, she hung a beautiful double maile lei around my neck and openly wept in my arms.  It was a moment that I will never forget and still brings tears to my eyes when I remember it.

My grandmother was still alive when I graduated from college and law school, and passed the bar exam, but my high school graduation was the biggest for her and for me.  It was the first time I realized why education was so important.  It was more than fulfilling academic requirements, I was fulfilling an unrealized dream for my grandmother and other women like her who sacrificed their education.

Tonight, as watched my cousin and his high school classmates receive their diplomas, I walked down memory lane and remembered how fortunate I am to not only have the opportunity to graduate from an outstanding school, but the support from my family.  Congratulations to the Class of 2012!