It is a cloudy day, but still warm as my friends and I buckle our heels and straighten our caps on our heads. We head out the doors of Bollum Hall and up the path to Mills Theatre. We sit in Carr 213 sipping our Dunkin Donuts coffee as we wait to be called. We all laugh as one of us admits that we will probably be drinking Dunkin on the day of graduation. But today feels almost as important as our actual graduation. It is Convocation. A tradition that has been with Bay Path University for decades. We entered Mills Theater four years ago as freshmen and are about to enter it again, this time as seniors. I can remember freshman year Convocation like it was just yesterday, placing the maroon cap on my head and feeling welcomed to Bay Path University. This time felt different. I felt accomplished and proud to be sitting in the front of the theater, surrounded by friends, peers, teachers, and supporters.
We had a wonderful guest speaker, Geena Ravella, who is a very accomplished alumnus of Bay Path University. Her speech was reassuring that we are all taking the right steps for our future right now. She graduated with a legal studies degree but teaches dance. Her focus on the “Be Curious” theme encouraged seniors to continue to pursue our passions in life and to always want more. I really related to her when she spoke of the arts as being a part of your soul. No matter how hard I try to focus on other things, I always get drawn back into the arts. It is something that I have always been passionate about and I can communicate through my work here at Bay Path. Bay Path has allowed me to fulfill my passion as well as work on my career.
As we turn and face the first-years to read the senior affirmation, it starts to sink in that I am almost done. If the next year flies by as fast as the last three, graduation day is right around the corner. Convocation was the perfect way to start the year and ignite my passion to be involved with my community as I come to my final days at Bay Path University.
