Graduation at its Best

Miriam Zaragoza

English 101

September 21, 2011

Graduation at its Best

2009-2010 my senior school year, boy how it went by fast. I turned 18 that year like most other seniors. It was the climax of my entire high school career. More fun was upon me the homecoming dance, Sadie’s Hopkins dance, and who can forget the PROM. It was all too wonderful to forget and sad to let go the day graduation came along. 

June 11, 2010. I woke up early that morning it did not matter to me that I hadn’t slept the night before. It was graduation day, excited and at the same time sad I could not believe four years had gone by so fast freshmen year of 2006 and senior year 2010. The entire morning I could not stop telling everyone I saw “oh my god, I graduate today!”  The only thing that could of went wrong that day did go wrong like always I was late to a school event not just any event but none the least, graduation. Running off of the car through the hall ways like crazy made me think to myself this is probably the last time I’ll ever get to step foot in these old hallways full of memories. Despite my procrastination that day I barely made it to the gym just in time to hang out with my friends and hear each other’s laughs one last time at Rio Mesa High’s gymnasium.

The gyms old wooden bleachers and semi white walls was filled that day with red and black gowns lined up according to one’s last name, getting last minute signatures in the yearbook. It was tough for me to see all of my friends and think that that was the last time all of

us would be together under the same roof. I almost wanted to cry which was a weird action for me; I had always been the tough one of all my friends. A couple words of wisdom from the principle and previous teachers and big loud school spirit cheer gave way the march towards the stadium to release the start of a new successful generation.

Walking out of the gym towards the football field was nerve wrecking as I entered the stadium and saw all of those families sitting in the bleachers looking down upon us screaming for their loved one. But that all changed into excitement when I came upon my own family especially my mother screaming her lungs out “that’s my baby, you did it mija.”  I knew I was making her proud and yet that was only the beginning because this marked a culmination to my next step in life, college and the real world.

 As I walked to my seat and sat down I embraced every moment of it from the principles speech to our valedictorians. I looked around and realized that I had seen or known majority of these people since the first day of kindergarten, thirteen years together and never realized it until it was too late to say hello. 

As the moment came for my row to walk up to the stage my body went numb I was getting nervous more and more the closer I got to the stairs and up to the stage. Standing there moving one by one waiting for my name to be called and before I knew it was my time to shine as they called “Miriam Zaragoza.”  At the moment my name was called and reached over to get my diploma the entire world went silent I saw the people clap and my family cheer but that was all no sound went through my ear lobes. My entire four years of high school passed me by all the

times with my friends, my senior year dances, football games, and being silly in general and getting away with it had all come to an end. Four years in a matter of minutes.

As the entire class sang our last Alma matter as one to the top of our lungs I must admit a tier ran down my face that was it no more high school.

Walking towards my family to my mother’s arms as we embraced each other she whispered in my ear as she cried on my shoulder “congratulations mija I knew you could do it… you make me so proud to be your mother, I love you so much.”  

Now that I look back at my first day of high school I could not wait for it to be the day of graduation. I thought four years was a long time to wait. And when the day came it was hard for me to let go and took me a while to get over it but I am glad I got to experience walking the line along with my friends in front of my family.

Deep down i know that by graduating high school I made my entire family proud especially my mother. By graduating I not only benefited and rewarded myself but my mother as well, it was a gift of success from me to her to show her that all her work she put in raising me on her own paid off.