Graduation day: speeches, gowns, and tassels. Most of us have had some experience of the sort. However, I would not do justice to the graduation at CASA today by describing these things seen at nearly every graduation. Sure, there were flowers, pomp, and circumstance, but something much more profound underlay the entire occasion.
The ten CASA midwifery school graduates began their day at 8 A.M. in the pews of La Iglesia del Oratorio. Joined by a few of their teachers, they attended morning mass and received a special blessing for the challenges they have overcome in school and the challenges lying ahead in their careers as midwives. The overwhelming pride felt by the girls and their families was obvious from the beginning: at any given moment, the church would filled with camera flashes, and all the attendees sported smiles from ear to ear.
After mass, the girls returned to their dormitories on CASA grounds to get ready. The excitement buzzing through their living quarters mounted as each one slipped a graduation gown over their favorite dress and fit a cap perfectly on their head. As 10 o’clock neared and they moved outside to take pictures with friends and family, the girls’ joy became nearly uncontainable. Giggles erupted from smiles as the girls posed for a line of cameras, their very own paparazzi.
When the hour finally arrived, the ten girls—CASA’s largest graduating class—filed onto the stage to enjoy their moment of glory. Following several speeches from faculty of CASA, each graduate had the opportunity to address the audience, composed of younger students, other CASA workers, previous graduates, and plenty of thrilled relatives. The importance of this day shone through as each one spoke, thanking CASA and their loved ones for the opportunity and support to advance in a direction that may not have been possible without them. In many cases, their pride, excitement, gratefulness, and anxiety surmounted to tears as they struggled over words that fully expressed their gratitude for that moment.
Each girl received her diploma and a turn of her tassel with a genuine smile and eyes that revealed the deep contentment felt upon earning one of the best gifts of all—a quality education, a respected career, and the chance to have a profound impact on the lives of many.
