On May 21st, 2023, Southern Maine Community College held its 76th graduation. Hundreds of students attended and walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. For one last time, I will write an article for the SMCC Beacon. Three fellow graduates were kind enough to take the time to answer questions about what graduation meant to them.

For Nevada Fahey, a fire science major, graduation meant a lot to her. She says her graduation was something she never thought she would experience. “I always struggled in school growing up. It felt surreal.” The lead-up to graduation is different for everyone as we all have different paths and for Fahey that was the case. Her lead-up living in a fire station while she was in school.  She acknowledges that it was one of the hardest, but most rewarding experiences. “Living in a fire station is not peaceful, you are always on the go. The live-in program taught me that I could be a firefighter and an EMT.” Fahey remembers all the sleepless nights, studying, and moving away from home. She talked about how she would do it again in a heartbeat. The week following graduation was crazy for her, as she is moving to Maine from Massachusetts. “I could not leave. I love it here.”

Yuliia Asanov, a Communications & New Media major, looks back at graduation as a joyful day. She loved the speech about Maine and its nature. She mentions how she liked how it taught us endurance and perseverance. Asanov learned to love this vacation state too, having moved from Ukraine, and she  can’t imagine a better place to experience life. She also loved seeing her favorite teachers at the graduation. “I’ll forever carry bittersweet memories of being in their classes.” For Asanov, the lead-up to graduation was filled with different and somewhat confusing emotions. She tells me, “on the one hand I was glad that I was able to complete my degree and start a new chapter of my life. On the other hand, to be completely honest, I felt a bit disappointed with myself. It took me four years to complete the associates degree, while almost all of my high school classmates got their bachelors already.” She took a breath then, deciding to give herself some grace and allow herself to feel proud of her accomplishments. She reminded herself that everybody has a road they take. She looked back at where she started. Just six years ago she was a ‘fresh-off-the-boat girl,’ speaking no English. She made peace with her slow pace in education. “Comparison is a thief of joy, and on my graduation day, I wanted to be joyful.”

Jesse Bifulco, a Communications & New Media major, looks back at graduation and how he is scattered among his colleagues. Some graduated last year, and some will graduate next year. He spoke about how this certainly felt like a big step for him and said that it is only one part of a larger process. For him, the lead-up was abrupt, as can be true with many students. One week he was scrambling for classes and work, and then it just ended. He tells me, “It was rewarding to have not realized how far I’d come until I looked back.”

Allyson Bennett, a health science major, said that graduation was great for her. She said that she had never experienced a formal graduation before and that she was proud to have her first one with SMCC. For her, the lead-up to graduation was nerve-wracking, but that the process of graduating was super simple. For her, the following week has been great. She has been spending time with family and working until she starts summer classes to finish up the last few credits she needs. Bennett is going to attend Unity College. She will be studying veterinary technology to get her certification. She then hopes to build a career in veterinary medicine.

For me, graduation day was a bittersweet day where I was happy to look back at my accomplishments, but it was also the realization that my time as a member of the Seawolves is over. Before the ceremony I was nervous and anxious, but once we started to march it hit me that it was real. Being able to share that with my classmates was an honor as we were able to say one last goodbyes. While I didn’t get close to many classmates that doesn’t take away from the connections I made with some of them. Whether we had one class together or multiple, I will always be united with them. Walking across the stage, knowing all my hard work paid off was a blessing. Shaking the hand of the president of the University and giving a hug to the professor that played such a huge role in my success made the day as special as it was. Hearing Professor Guthrie give the speech for Kendell Harnett was something I won’t forget. Having Harnett as a professor, I couldn’t stop thinking to myself that sounds just like him and made me smile. The lead-up was anxious as I never had a formal high school graduation in 2020, so I wanted to enjoy every last second. Doing that made the day all the more special for me and my family. Since graduation, it’s been business-as-usual…work and life, but it is weird not having classwork to stress about anymore.