2B
GRADUATION GUIDE
KANSAN.COM
+
Letter from the editor's desk: 'Life is unpredictable. Run with it.'
▶ VICKY DIAZ-CAMACHO
@vickyd_c
Here's my story. I hope this helps someone who is worried about what will happen next. Most of us never know.
When I first set foot on a university campus it was new and unpredictable — and not much has changed. When I was 17, I had no clue what to do. I was fresh out of high school, had no idea what to major in and the thought of years of schoolwork was daunting. I was scared.
And now? I'm wrapping up some of the best years of my life as a University journalism student and editor-in-chief of the University Daily Kansan. My college dream came true.
Sure, I will graduate almost a decade after I left high school, but, this factoid prompts my first note of advice: Do not let your fear of being judged rule your life. Instead let your ambitions carry you.
Be bold and try new things. In my case, this meant watching foreign films for the first time at a dingy little cafe in West Texas or going to house shows in dimly lit basements in New Mexico. And, most profoundly, I fell in love at 18 years old.
But after four years of dead-end jobs, I decided it was time for something new. I enrolled and spent my first college years in New Mexico and became an arts editor, a photographer and took a liking to art history. In 2013 I got married and moved from Texas to
Kansas, away from home and everything I knew.
"Fitting in" was tough at first, but I had lots of practice. I plugged myself into a new world by dancing to James Brown in the streets of Kansas City, Mo. for First Friday's, or decimating my eardrums at an emo show at Records with Merritt or grabbing cookie dough ice cream at Sylas and Maddy's, where I am now a local. Here's my second note of advice: Explore. Say, "Hi" to that person next to you at the show, or in your COMS class or at the bookstore downtown and keep talking. They could be your next best friend. They might introduce you to a world where you discover what you love.
My world is my husband, my cat, The Kansan and now, my city. A year
ago I was a copy editor. Throughout that year, I met like-minded, fervent people who supported me and believed in me in and outside of work. Beyond that, I found friends. I belong to a community, (you know who you are). Imagine what you can do in your next two to three years. Don't be ruled by fear. Find your troop. Explore and let your ambitions carry you.
There's no shortcut. If you take new routes, you're going to notice the refreshing subtleties. Life can be unpredictable but let it happen. For us seniors, our first steps into the real world will be through the Campanile on graduation day. Thank you to those who've joined me on the path that I've chosen this far.
With that, I bid KU adieu.
Your graduation gift is a one-year membership in the KU Alumni Association your connection to all things KU! Compliments of the KU Alumni Association and KU Endowment.
- Your alumni membership is effective through May 31, 2017
- To take full advantage of your benefits you must have a current mailing and email address (not a ku.edu address) on file with the KU Alumni Association
- Visit kualumni.org/updateinfo or call 785-864-4760 to update your mailing and email addresses
Member benefits
- Career resources
- Access to 300,000 Jayhawk alumni through our online directory to build your network
- 10% discount at KU Bookstores (in store and online)
- National Discount Program
- Invitations to alumni networking events
- Six issues of Kansas Alumni magazine
- Access to alumni networks throughout the state, across the country and around the world
Watch your email for a welcome message from the KU Alumni Association it will include your official electronic membership card
Visit kualumni.org to learn more about the KU Alumni Association. Questions? Call 785-864-4760.
+