...years ago my oldest daughter, Nicole, graduated from high school. She had the world by the tail and was ready to tackle anything and everything. She was a straight-A student, a fantastic horn player, and a super good friend to everyone who knew her.
Later that summer, she moved out of our home to attend the University of Utah. She lived in the dorms with Christina from Texas, Paula from Oregon, and Kelly from Salt Lake City. Like her parents before her, she joined the Ute Marching and Pep Bands. She worked nearby, she walked everywhere she went, and she learned how to be a college student as well as a person independent from her parents. It wasn't the easiest of years, but she pulled good grades and learned that she never wanted to live in the dorms again as long as she lived.
That summer, she moved to Alaska with some friends, and worked very hard at two jobs. She saved a ton of money, backpacked through some amazing country, learned even more about what it means to be independent from her parents, and enjoyed four months of daylight in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
The following school year, she lived in a cheap, run-down, but accommodating apartment with Kelly from Salt Lake and Paula from Oregon. She played in the bands again, but the school year brought many challenges. She decided upon a major in biology in which she took organic chemistry and genetics back-to-back in classes of 300 plus. She worked in a plant lab on campus and learned how to do DNA extractions. She also learned that biology majors, at least according to her experience, live a lonely life in closed-in labs being very studious, scholarly, and they have to get through genetics. After some serious soul-searching, she ditched the biology major in favor of a major in environmental studies. With global warming becoming the world's number one issue, Nicole wanted to take an active role to do her part.
To make up for lost time in this new field, Nicole went to school that summer and learned a great many things about environmental studies, but more importantly, she learned that she never wanted to go to summer school again for as along as she lived and that she wanted to learn how to play the guitar.
Her junior year she lived in the Pepto Palace, aptly named for its three-story pink exterior, with many girls including Paula from Oregon, and a new friend, Dorothy from Kaysville. This year she discovered many things about the environment, the science of global warming, the politics of global warming, and other sundry details that made her wonder why she gets up every morning, having knowledge of the certain and impending doom of our planet. (There is a depressing time in the life of an environmental studies major in which they are inundated with f acts about the progress of our earth towards crisis that is not entirely uplifting.)
Her senior year she lived with Beccah, her freshman younger sister, in a conveniently located apartment where they were both members of the marching band. She finished up her psychology minor and landed two jobs in her field where she is making a difference every day in educating others on not the certain and impending doom of our planet, but the hopeful assertion that if we can all pull together, we can turn global warming and the needless waste of resources around for good.
On Friday of this week, she will graduate with a Bachelor of Science. She will don the cap and gown, walk the processional to Pomp and Circumstance and we will cheer, take photos, cry, laugh, and celebrate--the many and long hours of study, the sacrifices she has made to become qualified in an area of study she is passionate about, and the challenges she has overcome. We will toast this truly wonderful young woman who thinks entirely for herself, creates positive change in those around her, and who I am so very proud to call my daughter.
Cingratulations to you both! I can tell you are a wee bit proud of her, as you should be.
Melis
Posted by: Melissa | April 29, 2008 at 01:29 AM
Congrats Nicole (and mom!)!!!
The world needs you and so do we!
B-
Posted by: Becky Olsen | April 29, 2008 at 01:32 AM
Yay Nicole! That is such a wonderful achievement (for all of you!) Looking forward to hearing about what your future brings...
All the best!
Alice
Posted by: Alice Golden | April 29, 2008 at 09:17 AM
Hurray~! I can just feel the love in your voice. Our eldest is graduating with a BS in Architecture from ASU on May 8th - I need to write about him, too. Thanks for the inspiration. Many of his class projects have included green housing and environmental issues - I believe this generation will make a difference.
Posted by: Kim Kesti | April 29, 2008 at 12:03 PM
congrats to both you and nicole for reaching this huge milestone! i love her chosen field--believe it or not i almost switched to that major myself after a couple of incredible classes i took from the UofU. but alas i stuck with graphics, and as i design endless amounts of paper goods which will eventually adorn our landfills the irony is not lost on me. so sad.
Posted by: celeste rockwood-jones | April 29, 2008 at 12:51 PM
I've heard so much about Nicole, but have never seen a picture of her. She is A+dorable! Just want to reach into the screen and pinch her cheeks! Congratulations to all of you, cause it just feels that way doesn't it? Here's to the next step...change the world! Sue
Posted by: Susan Neal | April 30, 2008 at 12:10 AM
Congrats to Nicole on a job well done. Super good wishes to her for the future.
And congrats you, Cath (and M), for helping her spread her wings!
Posted by: teri | April 30, 2008 at 03:14 AM
Wow, I just loved getting to know your daughter through your great little recap! She seems amazing! Big congrats to her.
Posted by: linda beeson | April 30, 2008 at 03:50 PM