I graduated from college three years ago. I sat in an auditorium with my fellow graduates listening to commencement addresses from distinguished faculty and honorable members of society as I awkwardly fiddled with my cap and gown. I heard the words the speakers provided but I don’t think I really listened, I was too worried about finding a job.
I attended my cousin’s collegiate commencement this afternoon and I really listened to the words the commencement speakers provided. After being in the workforce for three years, the words sank in.
In brief, their messages were as follows:
The most important thing, second to finding the one you love, is finding the thing you love, and doing the thing you love with the utmost passion. Do not sacrifice your passion for anything. Do not worry about finding a job, as long as you satisfy your need to fulfill your passion, you will find peace and happiness no matter your income.
Speak and write well. Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address fit on half a sheet of paper but echoes deeply in every strand of our livelihood. (The Gettysburg Address adorned the entire width of the wall behind the graduation stage, coincidentally.)
Your liberal education taught you in the skills you require in the workforce, but more importantly, it taught you how to be a human being. It taught you how to distinguish between right and wrong, how to make your own choices, it has empowered you.
Liberal education. Liberty. Liberation.
The most poignant moment I experienced as a college graduate was one I witnessed several times this afternoon, and it brought tears to my eyes. The simple act of a professor patting the back of their former student by simply making eye contact, nodding their head and smiling or reaching out to shake their hand… a professor who has given a student the tools, guidance, education, support and love necessary to be successful, showing genuine pride in their work by giving an approving gesture to the graduate. I watched the reactions of the receiving graduates when this occurred and saw happiness, accomplishment and pride on their glowing faces.
These moments made me homesick for the college professors I write a Christmas card to each year. I entered college as an angsty freshman who cared about nothing but my own appearance. I graduated as an opinionated, outspoken and honored leader and I owe it all to the professors who made me care, who made me ask why, who challenged me, who told me to grow up, who made me feel deeply passionate about the world around me. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. And each year, they send a new class of graduates out into the world. I can only hope that each graduate feels the same eternally indebted gratitude to the professors they spent the last four years with.
Mix with an electric mixer until smooth, use baking liners, fill to the top, bake at 350 for 18-20 mins for regular cupcakes, 10-12 mins for mini-cupcakes. I made mini-cupcakes and it was enough for 48 of them.
Cool them down on a rack and use a piping bag to poke holes in the top and fill the centers up with Marshmallow Fluff. If you’re holding the cupcake in your hand, you can feel the expansion of the cupcake when the filling is added to get a rough idea of when you’ve added enough Fluff.
These babies won’t be eaten until Saturday so I have them in air-tight containers in the fridge.
Posted by Jennie Roth 
Posted by Jennie Roth 
Posted by Jennie Roth 
