Alpha Omega

It’s here, that time… it’s finally here. I’m holding in my hands the tickets to my little girl’s college commencement ceremony. Boy, no one could’ve made me believe that simply being handed the tickets would throw me in such an emotional state.

It seems like only yesterday we were moving her in her dorm. I can see her now running around in her Yankees Jeter jersey and 2 long pig-tail braids hanging down beneath her hat. It was hotter than 10 Haitis outside, and she and her roomie had packed enough between 3 cars and a large SUV to not only furnish the dorm room but an entire apartment.

Dorm move-in day, Aug. 17th 2006 – Julia on right, her roomie Lauren on left.

Since it was the first freshman move-in day, the campus was swamped with students and parents everywhere. Her roomie Lauren’s Dad, her Dad and I made countless trips back and forth from the parking lot to the dorm building in the extreme heat. After just a few trips, we noticed the girls were nowhere to be found. They were out being social butterflies while we were moving them in! As I look back, I remember arguing with her Dad about it. I know he remembers this, and we can actually laugh about it now. There at the end, when we were ringing wet and about to pass out from the heat, in bops Julia and Lauren with a couple of ‘cute’ strong lads they’d hooked up with to ‘help’ us. Those lads ended up getting the last load or two, and with us being at the passing-out point, we were ever-grateful.

Julia really is a rare find of a kid. From start to finish, her college education has totally been funded through her own student loans. It was to be a tenure that ended up surviving a series of curve balls – including the breakup of her parent’s marriage halfway through it. I’ve watched as countless friends of hers have either dropped out or otherwise were dismissed from college because of grades – but hers is a true success story. Over the last four years, I watched her worked her ass off for the education she knew she needed in life. She’s now earned this reward by much sweat of her brow – time, effort, and a lot of hard work. She’s always been the kind of girl that knows what she wants, and doesn’t mind working hard to get there.

I already know that the day in mid-May when she walks across the stage will be one of the most emotional days of my life. I could not be more proud of her, and I know for a fact her entire family is too.