Summer Thoughts

Happy almost June...

The official first day of summer is just around the corner. For many of us in higher education, summer has arrived; students have graduated or are working at new internships, backpacking the globe, working for much needed cash, enjoying family and friends, working through summer classes, updating Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, texting and talking away the hours...being alive in 2009.

Each year, I watch a new group of amazing Mills Women and men walk across the stage to accept their degree and head out into uncharted waters and now more than ever, uncertain times.

Each year, I cry.

I cry for the smiles and shared moments I will miss, I cry for the joy of knowing how hard the students have worked in and out of the classroom to reach this moment. I cry with pride and happiness for their achievements. I cry because I have held my breath for years as our students have taken chances, faced obstacles, found their footing, raised their voices, whispered their hopes, shared their fears, reached for their dreams, and because they now leave this campus and we know they will change the world.

I cry because I am so very proud to have known these young women, if only for a brief time.