Esquire

Have you ever purchased something for $100,000? That's sort of how I felt on Saturday at my law school graduation while holding my fake diploma. It's strange how you go through school and while you're living it it is just a process, but once it is over, on graduation day, suddenly you feel like you have this thing, this law degree, and it is almost tangible. I don't remember feeling like that when I graduated from college; it is a much more momentous feeling now, that I have this degree.

The day was perfect- my new floral, sweetheart neckline dress that wouldn't stay up, my mom telling me to stop being so nervous aka stop snapping at her, the morning mass, having family and friends take time to come celebrate, the ceremony, the champagne toast after, taking pictures, the small celebration and second champagne toast at my apartment after, dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant, going out to celebrate three years of hard work, realizing we were tired from three years of hard work and a long day and going home far earlier than we should have, sleeping in and spending the next day at the beach...

One of my favorite parts of the day was the part that is usually just a formality and quickly forgotten- the ceremony and speaker. I remember telling myself right before the ceremony began, "This is your law school graduation. Most people don't get this and you won't get this again. Enjoy it." And I did. Our speaker was Michelle Obama's Chief of Staff so I had a slight bias when she began, but my connection to her only grew when she began speaking. She had never wanted to be a lawyer (check), focused on art history in college (check), worked for the City of Chicago (check, albeit she was Corporation Counsel, the head lawyer), and strongly believed in mistakes and fate (check, check). The gist of her message was that this is just the beginning and we likely won't see all the puzzle pieces of life fit together for a while, but they will, and a mixture of mistake, hard work, luck, and fate will form something fabulous.

And so the next chapter begins...