Here we are again, GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies community!
Those of us working on campus often measure time by the start and end of the academic year. Each fall evokes a certain feeling of anticipation, an energy supercharged for nine months of classroom work and the joy of learning. And late each spring, as the classrooms and dormitories empty, we shift into the reset of the summer season. The end of the spring semester is always bittersweet. We celebrate those students among us who are closing this chapter of their lives and moving into a different phase of applying what they’ve learned. These final days of classes are busy, overcommitted, and often ambivalent—as much as we want to slow down and take in the moment, the end of the semester always tends to feel a little breathless. It is a big sprint toward the finish, but what a finish it is.
Our seniors are moving their tassels over and embarking on exciting next steps of their journeys. Some will continue on to graduate school, some will travel, some will stay put, some will start new jobs…regardless of what the “next thing” looks like, we hope our graduating GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies seniors will soak up the uniqueness of this moment, and reflect on their time in our programs and all that they have accomplished. What a remarkable achievement!
No doubt some of our fabulous community of alumni are watching their own children walk across stages around the country and the world…perhaps there are even a few Badgers among the bunch! And some of our alumni are freshly graduated within the last handful of years, trying on different hats, meeting and surmounting challenges, and rejoicing wins, both personal and professional.
This moment is a good one to remind ourselves that while the degree itself is an incredible accomplishment, and a harbinger of great things to come, the core of why we do what we do in GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies classrooms is to more intentionally live in the world. The learning is about far more than the credential and the letters behind your name (though you certainly earned them, so use them!); it is about showing up as human knowing that we are not the measure of all things and that the learning always continues. What a privilege and a gift to put that knowledge into action.
Some parting words from the wise Fiona Apple, “I really don’t think anything I do is a mistake. It could be if I didn’t learn from it.”
We celebrate you, dear GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies graduates! And we cannot wait to see your growth as you now become members of our community of alums! Haha! Never fear…you can’t get rid of us that easily!
Onward the journey!
Cheers,
Dr. Kate