A Lot of Pomp and Circumstance

Friday, May 14, 2004

Page 19

AT THE SIDEBAR (Column)

A Lot of Pomp and Circumstance

By J’AMY PACHECO

I loved school. So much so that when high school graduation rolled around, I didn’t want to leave.

Although that event took place more than 20 years ago (how many more? Don’t ask.), I clearly recall the wonderful day I stood on the football field, diploma in hand, surrounded by family and friends.

My mother, a single mom, gave me diamond earrings that I still don’t know how she managed to afford. I felt like a princess as I boarded a bus for the post-graduation trip to Disneyland.

My thoughts returned to those days of promise recently when graduation announcements started filling my mailbox.

It’s been several years since I attended a graduation. A batch of nieces and nephews graduated a few years ago after a long dry spell. But this year, it looks like my family is making up for lost time.

In the coming weeks, five members of my immediate family will graduate.

My niece, Christy, is the youngest. She just turned 18, and will soon graduate from high school.

The once-tiny toddler who refused to sleep nights has blossomed into an elegant, petite young woman. She’s smart and graceful, and possesses an intellectual sense of humor that never fails to surprise me.

Christy just returned from Europe, and although she’s just starting her life’s journey, she already knows what she wants. She hopes to attend college in Nevada, and to eventually open her own pub—in London.

I have no doubt Christy will get what she wants out of life. It’s nice to know I’ll have a place to stay, and to sip ale, if I ever make it “over there.”

My “baby sister,” Carolynn, is graduating from USC. I first met the girl who became my stepsister when she was barely walking. It’s almost impossible to believe that the little girl with whom I played Barbie dolls will accept her Bachelor’s Degree this week.

But she will, and is now engaged in an end-of-college job hunt. Carolynn is exceptionally bright and has a lot of internships under her belt. I know her experience, education and dazzling smile will help her land someplace interesting.

My brother, who is slightly younger than me, returned to school after a long absence and military service. I’m not sure when; he sort of headed back under the radar. Next month, though, he’s finally going to get his degree.

My older sister, who went back with great fanfare, will graduate with him.

She started out taking a few classes at a time, and was still there when her daughter, Bethany, finished high school and joined her at college.

Next month, they’ll receive their degrees together.

I never finished college. I started working when I was 15, and liked earning my own money. When high school was over, I took night classes in college and worked during the day.

Eventually, I took a position that required a great deal of overnight travel and dropped out of school, thinking I’d go back someday.

“Someday” came when I was 30, and I enrolled for the first time in daytime college classes. I don’t know if the sun’s rays had some bizarre effect or if I was just too old, but I soon realized college—the local college, anyway—wasn’t for me.

I completed the semester, earned straight A’s, and left. It’s a decision I’ve seldom admitted, and often regretted.

But my little girl, who is about a decade away from college herself, will go—even if I have to buy her a pony to make her do it.

She has agreed to go under one condition—that I go with her. That’s not an unusual request coming from my offspring; we go almost everywhere together.

Of course, by the time she’s ready for college, I’ll be more than halfway to the age of 100. Yikes. I’m not worried about the classroom requirements; I just hope I can make it up to the podium to accept a diploma.

But I’m inspired by the five who are graduating this year. From the youngest, just starting out, to the oldest, who raised five children and had to clear a lot of hurdles to get to this point, they’ve worked hard. I’m proud of them.

So you know where I’ll be in the coming days – at Hallmark, picking out cards. And then, looks like I’ve got a pony to buy.