Yesterday was my graduation ceremony at the University of Hartford! I officially have my Masters in Elementary Education, and I honestly can’t believe that this wonderful and exhausting journey has ended. Technically, I completed the program back in January with the ending of my student teaching, and I was unsure for a while as to whether or not I would end up participating in the graduation ceremony. However: I am so glad I did.
Participating in the graduation ceremony gave me an opportunity to just be genuinely proud of myself. Lately, I have been so stressed – so much so, that I wasn’t really taking a moment to reflect on all that I have accomplished in the last two and a half years. It’s really wonderful to think that I was able to do this – to be honest, if you told me five years ago that I would be graduating with my masters and preparing to be a teacher in Fall 2019, I would have said absolutely not. How could I do that? I’m so happy that applying to the program, as spontaneous as the decision felt for me, was something I chose to do.
Shoes are gold Jack Rogers and dress (underneath the gown) is my new favorite dress from Gap! I also wore it to my friend Katherine’s bridal shower last weekend. Perfect for work, too!
Walking in the ceremony also gave me the chance to see everyone from my cohort again. Most of us took each class together, and it was lovely to be able to see my friends and reflect on all the experiences we shared together throughout the program. At times, with all the testing to become a teacher (in addition to the classes), we were put in a lot of stressful situations where we really depended on support from each other. I think it was perfect to have not only started the program together, but to have truly ended it together as well. I was even able to snag a photo with my childhood friend, Charlotte, who just finished her sixth year at the University of Hartford . She helped my parents get great seats where I would walk directly by them to the stage, so we were all really thrilled to have her help as well!
Not only did I see all of my peers, but I was also able to see my advisor, who was awesome to work with throughout the program. When I first joined the program, I was incredibly eager and sent her e-mails too many that most definitely had too many questions. We joked about it throughout the entirety of the program, along with a whole lot of other jokes with a whole lot of laughing, so it was really lovely to be able to end the day with her as well. Actually, after the ceremony, I ran into her at Starbucks (along with my friend Brett!), so it honestly couldn’t have been more perfect. Running into her there gave my sisters and Jake to get some insight into what classes with her were like, which sparked a lot of fun conversations for the car ride home.
It was also a perfect day with my family! My parents, sisters, my Grammy, and Jake all had a delicious lunch together at La Figata (which I actually mentioned in my last post…!) I ordered the mushroom ravioli and devoured a ton of bread. It was, literally, perfect. It was so fun to be able to spend time with both my sisters on an already great day – plus, the weather could not have been better!
I could go on and on about how perfect the day was – although I think the photos say a lot! Special thank you to my parents for making sure everything went smoothy for my not only on graduation day, but throughout the program, and an extra extra thank you for my Mom taking so many pictures throughout the day. <3
Did you celebrate a graduate this weekend?
