The day has finally come, today Dec.14 is my graduation. I should be at the University of Arizona today, walking across the stage gripping my bachelor’s degree with a big stupid smile on my face. Instead, I’ll spend the week checking my mailbox anxiously to see if my expensive piece of paper has arrived in the mail. If I were Jerry Garcia I’d say, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”

Seven colleges, 21 years and over sixty classes later and I’m still in shock to think that I’m actually done. I was considered a “non-traditional student” which is a college term for a middle-aged person with commitment issues and bills, who is still trying to decide if college is worth it. I don’t mind the term, as a matter of fact I’m happy to join the ranks of those who have paved their own path.

Earlier this year, I had the honor of interviewing a woman who received her high school diploma at 81-years old. During her senior year, in 1959, she was kicked out of school for being pregnant and not allowed to graduate. She told me that for years she felt embarrassed and angry but decided not to let it stop her and continued her life as if she graduated. She ended up having a very successful career but lived her whole life carrying the burden of her secret.

The son she was pregnant with in her senior year happened to be walking the halls of her old high school earlier this year and couldn’t find her photo with the other graduates. When she finally admitted to her son what happened, he couldn’t let it go. He decided to go to the school board and superintendent to make it right. It turned out she was only short a P.E. class and during that time cheerleading didn’t count as a credit like it does now. She was a cheerleader all four years. On Mother’s Day she was shocked when he presented her with her high school diploma. My favorite part of this story is when her best friend called her up and asked her “What took you so long?”

I don’t mind missing my graduation because I’m exactly where I want to be, home with my family and with a job I’ve only dreamed about. So what if I took the least efficient way to a degree? It turned out to be the most scenic and rewarding way. The truth is that I’ve learned just as much working in the fields and waitressing as I have in the classroom.

Here’s the thing, the quest for knowledge doesn’t ever stop and it’s not limited to the halls of a school. I’m proud of all the work and sacrifices I’ve put into my degree, but it’s the experiences I’ve had and people I’ve met along the way that I value the most.

Jessica Carranza Pino, Editor