Demetria Webster: From moments to memories

Today is a day that I always knew would come, but with all of the time and rigor this degree has required, I never truly stopped to think about how I’d feel in this moment. I am surrounded by the next generation of greats, and grateful to be standing alongside the people I was blessed to meet when I first stepped foot on this campus 4.5 years ago.

I have a host of emotions that I’m trying my best to contain. I feel immense joy, pride and gratitude to have made it to this point in my life as I’m sure we all do. But more than anything else, I am filled with a spirit of reflection.

While the day-to-day seemed long and tiring, the past 4.5 years have actually flown by quite fast. Upon reflection, I realize that I often found myself wishing for this day to come — the day when I would proudly walk across the graduation stage of this great institution and take the world by storm. Now that the time is here, part of me wants to hold on to these times just a little bit longer.

The time has come for me to begin to walk in my purpose. Moments are meant to be lived and then remembered, and as we complete this rite of passage today, our experience at this institution will be just that — a memory.

Five years ago, if someone told me that I would be graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering and over the course of my collegiate career would have been able to travel across the United States through internships, networking and fellowshipping opportunities, I would not have believed them.

This isn't because I didn’t believe in myself, but because I had not seen anyone like myself undertaking these awesome feats. I have been immensely encouraged and energized by the true friends that I met on day one of my journey who are still standing by my side today.

Today is a day to be celebrated as we remind ourselves of the mountains we’ve overcome and how we’ve been challenged to be better.

Better for ourselves and better for the people in our lives that we wish could be here today. For me that’s my grandmother, who I know would have given everything to be here today. It’s for the peers I laughed with in high school who were laid to rest too soon. It’s for anyone disheartened by a loved one missing this special day.

Let us remember that it is a privilege to be here and ensure that we use this privilege to uplift others as we continue to climb. And while we’ve made it this far, I’m sure we all have a bit of anxiety about what comes next.

The unknown can be frightening. We no longer have the comfort of falling into the routine of each day, going to class, to study and then to celebrate the week’s success on the weekends. After today, we embark on something new, and nothing will be the same.