I was not really planning on attending my graduation, but when you can use graduation as an excuse to find Geocaches in five more states on your way to find a Geocache in all 50 states, you use that excuse. As graduation day approached, I received an e-mail asking if I would like to be the gonfalonier and I graciously accepted.
I knew my time at UNK was the hardest two years of my life and the course work was extremely challenging, but I did not fully realize the rigor and legitimacy of this program. I think in my mind I considered it like a pay to play degree like those predatory universities offer and have recently lost lawsuits over. I was even skeptical of my gonfalonier honor. Was I chosen out of the other three people that would be there? Was I going to be the only one there?
I arrived at UNK and cruised by the history department. I found Dr. Linda Van Ingen in her office and it was a pleasure to finally meet her. She was a real live person in a real live office. In fact in a row of offices in a campus building. Not in a commercial leased space, but in a real legitimate school campus. We had a lovely visit and she showed me around. The place was a ghost town the day before graduation at the end of finals week, but it was real. We ran into Dr. Doug Biggs and then I had to get moving to graduation practice.
I arrived at graduation practice and saw Amber Alexander and she pointed me in the right direction. I soon realized there were 40-60 graduate students here and not just three. I sat through practice with great pride that this was going to be a real graduation, from a real school. After practice the gonfaloniers met to rehearse and I asked another one how we were chosen. The professors and departments recommend their students based on their accomplishments. What an honor! I had no idea.
I toured around the campus that evening and hit the bookstore to get the family some Christmas presents. It was awesome to finally be on this campus. When you complete an entire program off campus, it is easy to not realize what you are a part of. To think you are just a number or not valued. The UNK History Master of Arts is the real deal. Later that night as some of the professors gathered with me at McCue’s they reiterated how challenging the program is. They agreed that the course I just happened to pick were with some of the toughest professors out there and in the same semester. Not everyone takes two classes at a time. Other programs read six books in the same time we read 10-15.
I would have lost the significance of my time at UNK if I had not made this trip!
