As 2018 Graduation ceremonies are celebrated across CSU campuses, Graduate Joanna Poole shares what this milestone means to her.
Throughout my life, university seemed like a distant thought that would never come around. As life carried on and I get older it became very clear that university was a lot closer and more accessible than I ever thought. Starting at CSU in 2016 felt like a dream and I was so eager to be surrounded by like-minded people and begin learning things that interested me and that I could apply to my future career.
Once I started my Bachelor of Stage and Screen (Television), it only affirmed everything I knew before. I was meant to be here, and I was meant to be studying this. I loved it. I loved the people, the course and the place. This made the thought of graduation an even more distant memory. As the years rolled on I learnt more, I made more friends and I got more excited about what would come after uni.
The start of my final year, I was in more denial then I had ever been before. I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want this journey to end. All my friends would go our separate ways and I wouldn’t have the comfort of working with people I knew so well. As the days grew smaller and my time at uni was coming to an end. The thought of having to start applying for post-graduate jobs and graduating was becoming ever so present.
I did it. There is no other words to say it. I did it. I graduated. I finished my course. I passed all my subjects and I did it. Not only did I graduate, I managed to land my first graduate job in the field I had been studying and at the company I wanted. This made my graduation day even more sweeter as it confirmed that the last three years I had spent at uni was oh so worth it and I couldn’t wait to jump in and start my new career.
Graduation is the first step of the rest of my life. Being able to celebrate with my peers and family made for a magical day and allowed me to close the door on my uni chapter and start my new life. Now it is the time for me to follow my dreams and work harder than I ever have to get to where I want to be and ensure that I have a healthy and prosperous career. Graduation to me is a rite of passage allowing me to further grow and help me to become more of who I am.
