Graduates prepare for real world

By James Bickford

The summer is approaching, and that means us old-fart seniors are about to depart for the real world.

There have been a lot of reflections on our last four years at Santa Clara, and as our experience slips into fond memories, it is only right to think about the good and bad times with some nostalgia.

I think there is something more to consider, however, and I think it is the single most important part of the graduation experience. At my high school, we called it the "grad at grad."

The "grad at grad" was a list of the qualities that a graduate should possess upon graduation day. Often, this is relatively vague and many people match the same description. But ultimately, it is important because it implies that we have a responsibility once we walk the stage and take Fr. Locatelli's freshly printed signature.

That responsibility has to do with the fact that we are now branded with the ideals of the university. We are now responsible for representing ourselves and acting in a way that befits our level of education and experience.

When graduates of Santa Clara enter the real world, we are expected to act not only as trained and educated professionals, but also as competent, compassionate and conscious members of a much deeper society.

What we have learned in and out of the classroom is much more important than combustible information.

We have learned character and community. The knowledge we have gathered is equal only to the experiences we have gathered. And our past mistakes are as important as our triumphs.

I have made plenty of mistakes, some of which I will most certainly make again.

To all the people who read this, please realize that my mistakes have been formative, growing experiences. To all those who have been friends and colleagues, thank you for all of the memories and experiences. For those people I have drifted away from, those experiences are equally important to me. To the relationships, the fights, the loves, the joys and the depressions, thank you for being a part of my life and my Santa Clara experience.

Everyone at this school has these important people in their lives. To the graduates, remember these experiences and the responsibility that you have been endowed with. Remember to thank those people that have been a part of your life, and respect the true meaning of the relationships you have had.

This is a time for celebration, but ultimately it is a call to walk the stage into a real world that is fraught with problems, issues that we as Santa Clara graduates have a responsibility to attack and combat.

Yes, we Broncos are capable of changing the world.

James Bickford is a senior mechanical engineering major.