It went off pretty well, for the most part. The departmental ceremony in the morning was nice- it was kind of weird in a way. I remember at my departmental ceremony for my UD graduation, noting when the M.A. students graduated, just how small the group was. And then two years later, I was on the other side, with my two other fellow masters. (Other people graduated, but they didn't come.) One of my professors joked with me that I was graduating despite her best efforts, but then congratulated me on the fact that I was able to pull together that fall seminar paper together at the end. I was also able to talk to the professors that really meant something to me, especially the head of Alternative Spring Break. I told him how going to ASB was one of the best things I've done in my life, and that definitely seemed to please him.

There was a bit of a snafu with the large graduation, as I and one of the other grad students accidentally lined up with the bachelors. I didn't realize my mistake until the master students stood up and walked to the podium. I remarked on this to some girls I was sitting with, and they said, "Run!" So I basically rushed the stage, got behind my friend Seth, and walked across the stage all out of breath. I completely ruined the order doing this, but at least I made sure I graduated with the other masters. Apparently Melissa realized the mistake when I ran up, because she said she ran after me and got in line with people who were getting their MBA's. After that happened, I sat with my friend Seth and joked about how IUP really needs to co-ordinate their graduations better. Later on, I threw my cap up in the air, but no one followed- I guess it's not a tradition in Western PA to do that or something. LOL.

After the graduation I joked and laughed with some people about the whole thing. I mean, on one hand it kind of sucked that I didn't get to be all dignified for the second graduation and really savor the moment of walking across the stage, but I got to have that for the departmental, and secondly, I have a pretty funny memory. And it allowed me to sit with my friend Seth instead of whoever I was supposed to be lined up with.

It wasn't perfect, but it was my moment, and it was a great one. In between the small graduation and the big graduation, I talked to one of my friends who was a first year graduate student in Student Affairs. She's getting kicked out of school because her GPA was below a 3.0. She was bawling out crying. I had told her, way back in September, that I thought she was taking on too much extracurricular activities for a grad student instead of focusing on school. I didn't remind her of this, of course, but talking to her made me glad of all the times that first semester of grad school where I turned down socializing in order to study, giving me that cushion so that I wouldn't need to pull off a 4.0 GPA to stay in. I had a bit more fun this second year, but I had earned it by that point. Talking to this girl who will never graduate from IUP made me appreciate the moment a lot more, I think.