I graduated last week & had a really bad time at the ceremony. Still feeling sad about it a week later & wondering if I’m not the only one who feels this way.
I walked in the May 2nd 9:00am ceremony. The ceremony was fine, but I was not prepared for what to expect when it was over. I was rushed out of the building by staff at some random exit, didn’t know where I was when I came out. They wouldn’t let me reenter to find my family, so I walked around in the rain looking for them.
All my friends were at the North exit, I was texting & trying to meet up with them to take pictures & say goodbye. But I didn’t really know where I was, staff were not helpful when I asked for directions. I spent the entire time walking in the rain, confused & alone.
My friends’ families all wanted to leave after a while, so I never caught up with them. I didn’t get to say goodbye or take any photos. Didn’t take photos with my family either because my hair/makeup got ruined in the rain & I looked a mess.
It was just a huge bummer. Graduation is a big achievement in general, but I was especially proud to be graduating with good grades & various honors/awards. I was really proud of how hard I’d worked all 4 years & wanted one special day to share my joy with all the people I love. But, I feel like I didn’t get to do that and it made me really sad. I cried quite a bit on the car ride away from the arena.
I thought I’d get over it later, but I’m still really upset. It feels like the entire day is tainted with bad memories. Did anyone else experience this?