graduation

The graduation ceremony for a batch of ITE students is held over these 3 days. I was scheduled to play host to the VIPs, so I had the opportunity to witness the graduation ceremony for the first time.

And i was moved. Even though i didn't know 99.99% of the students there (except for 2, 1 of which won the outstanding student award and is currently studying at Ngee Ann Poly), there was this sense of pride. Sounds silly, doesnt it?

If I already felt this way, I wonder what their teachers would have felt.

As i sat there and watched the students go on stage to collect their certs, I was filled with a myriad of thoughts:

"Did they specially buy their suits for the graduation?", "Wah, this girl/boy look so good!", "They look so smart in their shirt and pants/shirt and skirt/suit", "I can't tell that they are students!", "what's with the spikey hair?", "wow, this girl carries herself with so much poise and confidence", "I wonder if they realised how professional they look", "Are they smiling because they are happy to attain their certs?", "Are they smiling because they can finally get out of ITE?", "Are they smiling because they have beaten the system and graduated even tho they have played their 2 years away?", "I wonder what will become of them?", "I can't believe these students are those kids who cause trouble and give attitude during class"..... etcetc.

I never attended my graduation. I never went on stage to collect my cert when i graduated from NUS. I stubbornly refused to go back for it.

Thus, I wondered how they must have felt up there on stage.

Pride? Relief? Joy? Sadness? Excitement?

But I was proud of these kids....though I did not know them.

They are no longer kids.

Looking dashing and strapping in their suits and corporate attire, they have metamorphisized. They look ready to enter the work force.

I hope ITE has enabled them just a little bit to enter this new stage of their lives.