Graduation Time

Back in May I had the chance to take part in my graduation ceremony for my masters degree. It is something that I wanted to do and celebrate with my wife and son given the hard work and sacrifices that were made to allow to to earn the degree. The trip was well worth it for all of us.

We got lucky and were able to get a room in the dorms on campus. When checking out hotels I saw that they were either booked or expensive. Being able to get a room on campus was a blessing because it was cheaper and as we learned made it easier to get around campus and to all the activities.

The entire family got into our little car in the early morning hours of May 10th and headed toward Lynchburg, VA. It is about a seven hour drive through the mountains of West Virginia. Now anyone with little kids can tell you that traveling with them on long rides can be a tale of two stories. Will they sleep most of the trip or will they cry. For our son we have already experienced both versions in previous trips. We simply did not know what to expect and this was going to be the longest drive of his little life. Thankfully between leaving so early in the morning and some good attitudes he either slept or smiled all of the way there.

Most of the drive was uneventful and we did not encounter much traffic. However, when we pulled off the highway and onto the campus of Liberty University that changed quickly. The campus was full of people checking in for graduation the next day and getting gifts. Police were everywhere. After check-in we attempted to find the dorms, got lost a couple of times before finally getting away from traffic and to the dorms.

That evening we attended the baccalaureate at the building next to the dorms. By now little guy was getting fussy from being still and sitting all day. Thankfully we sat in the last row and my wife was able to walk with him on the concourses.

Saturday morning was the big morning. The first question was when was the rain going to arrive. The forecast all week called for an all day rain. We were hoping it would hold off until after the main commencement ceremony. Staying the night on campus came in handy as we did not have to deal with traffic getting there. My wife had debated on staying in the room and watching the live stream of the event given the security and number of people involved and that I would not be there to help since I had to walk in. She decided that morning to go and watch the ceremony at the stadium.

Security was high as the Vice-President of the United States, Mike Pence was the speaker. Vice-President Pence delivered a wonderful message to us graduates and thankfully the rain help off just long enough to have everyone leave the stadium. The rest of the day was the individual ceremonies where I was able to make that wonderful trip across the stage with my son and wife cheering me on.

This indeed was a wonderful experience for the entire family to enjoy. We had fun and got to travel to a new place. We were blessed by the different speakers that imparted wisdom into us throughout the entire weekend. In the end it was the perfect capstone to a lot of hard work and late nights to earn the Master of Science in Cyber Security with high distinction. I am glad I got to share it with my wife and son.