This is it. I have been thinking of this day for what seems to be an eternity. I hear my name called, and start to rise. The short walk across the stage, feels like an eternity. My gaze falls upon the crowd of faces. Family, friends, and loved ones all look on with uplifting smiles. I have never seen them so proud. As I reach for my diploma, trying desperately to hold back the tears, the last four years flash before my eyes. Late nights studying, goals in soccer, never-ending friendships, memories and experiences that will stay with me throughout my life, all swirl through my thoughts. I realize, this is not an end, but the start of a marvelous new beginning. A beginning that would have been impossible to reach without Eastern Maine Community College.
My relationship with my father has always been tense. He never seemed satisfied with what I did and reprimanded me for every wrong step I took. He had strong opinions about my hairstyle, clothes, friends, and--above everything else--my academic performance. When I was not sitting at my desk in my room, he invariably asked me why I had nothing to do and told me I should not procrastinate. He stressed that if I missed my teenage years of studying, I would regret it later. He didn't like me going out with my friends, so I often ended up staying at home--I was never allowed to sleep over at other students' homes. All I remember from my past high school years is going to school and coming back home. I was confused by my parents' overprotective attitude, because they emphasized independence yet never actually gave me a chance to be independent.
In terms of career, my dad often lectured me about which ones are acceptable and which are not. He worried incessantly about whether I would ever get into college, and he often made me feel as if he would never accept my choices. Rather than standing up for myself, I simply assumed that if I studied hard, he would no longer be disappointed in me. Although I tried hard,...