As we all know, a lot but at the same time not much at all has been going the past weeks. The world is in chaos with the outbreak of COVID-19. Most of us have been impacted by it in more than one way. Most recently, as a result of it, I got the news that the 2020 UNR Spring Commencement will be held virtually.

With the situation not getting any better, I saw it coming. I will admit though that at first, I did not take the news very well. I was upset and my first thought was “all this hard work, to end up graduating in front of a screen”. However, with a blog dedicated to personal development and to staying positive, I opted to remind myself of a couple things. That is what we are going to talk about today. It is easy to smile and be happy during the good times; but the real tests come during the storm. 

I can tell you all day, to stay positive, and find an opportunity in anything and everything. But it is not that easy, and it is not how it works; things will happen, and we will be challenged. With the news on the Spring Commencement, I decided to read past posts for inspiration. Specifically, my “Live with Purpose Post”. There I reminded myself, that graduating was more than the commencement, and celebrating my accomplishment, for which there will eventually be plenty time. 

My dedication and hard work go back to since I was a kid. I always enjoyed learning and attending school. At only age seven, after insisting too much, I left my hometown and family in hopes of a better future. At that time, I was a kid, and perhaps I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for. Today, as I see where my education culminates, I know that leaving was well worth it. If I continue to work hard, my degree will only be the beginning of a better future.  

When I was about five years old, my mother asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I remember telling her, I wanted to be Mexico’s president. She looked at me oddly and questioned my response. I recall telling her that I was no different, that at one time the president was also a kid, with tiny hands and tiny feet. And so, like him I could too grow up to be president. I know it’s a silly story, and it’s not where I ended up, but what I take from that is that since as a child I dreamed big. So a canceled live graduation is no good reason to be disappointed.

With that said, I know that if my child self were to meet me today, she would be proud. The days when she cried, the days when she felt lonely paid off. Graduation is more than the ceremony. It’s making that little girl proud. I know that even though she was only a child, she knew her dreams could be limitless.

Therefore, if you are like me, another graduate who will be affected by this situation, I ask that you define your real reason for graduating. What is, is, and there’s not much we can do to change it. So instead of getting angry or too upset, let’s appreciate what we do have, and let’s consider the bigger reason why we pursued a higher education. Once this is all over, everything is going to be fine. We just need to stay together as a family, as a community.