"My parents and grandmother attended my graduation after driving five and a half hours from my hometown to the city where I studied. It was a big deal - not so much for a 320-mile journey, which was considered a long way in my native UK - but because I was the first member of our family to get a degree."
"But, less than 24 hours later, I cried silently in the back seat of the car, my worldly possessions in the trunk. I turned my head toward the window so my grandmother couldn't see my tears. Most of the sadness stemmed from already missing the friends I'd made over the previous three years. A handful remained in the city because they'd found a job nearby, and a few enrolled in a master's program."
"But, along with the sorrow, I felt a growing sense of anxiety. I was scared of the unknown. How would I manage without the hustle and bustle of college and the formal structure of classes? I knocked some sense into myself and tried not to be so pessimistic. But the harsh reality of becoming an adult who had to stand on their own two feet was even worse than I'd imagined."
Graduation brought family pride as parents and grandmother drove five and a half hours to celebrate the first degree in the family. Less than 24 hours later, tears came in the back seat while worldly possessions sat in the trunk. Much of the sadness came from missing friends made over three years, many of whom scattered for jobs or further study. Anxiety grew about managing life without college structure. Hope for a journalism career collided with a competitive market and no immediate paid position, intensifying fear about standing on my own feet as an adult.
Read at Business Insider
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