1 post tagged “graduation”

I finally graduated on Tuesday (6 May) after what seems years of studying.  Thankfully it was a fine day, as it would have been a real pain if it had been wet.  (I'll get to that later).  Was quite nervous as it was the first really big event I'd been to in a while, but in the end I found that I had much more support than I expected.  It was also really nice that Janice and Hugh Cheeseman (close family friends) were able to be there as well.
Got to the Waipuna Conference Center fine and then got all robed up in gown etc and waited for the photographer to appear (I had jacked this up earlier with the person who was organising the event.).  Had to wait for a while as there was a long queue outside the door where the photographer was.  When she finally did appear, I think she took a few nice pictures of me with Mum and Dad on the balcony overlooking the Panmure Basin. (Hopefully I didn't blink)

Saw the official (head of the polytechnic council, Douglas Langford) who was going to confer my degree.  I thought it was a very nice touch that he came around and talked to everyone to make sure they presented their mortarboard to him the right way around.
Finally got ushered down and around the back of the building to the service entrance of the theatre, and up onto the stage, where I would stay for the duration of the ceremony.  Thankfully I was put in the second row of officials behind the announcers' podium, so I was slightly obscured!
I'm glad that Janice took photos inside the theatre, as I could see what it was like from the audiences' point of view. (There was one gigantic faux pax!)
The ceremony was only supposed to last an hour, but it lasted for just over an hour and a half.
Received my degree at the end, grrr, so had to wait until all the diplomas and other degrees had been given out before it was the turn of the BA's and me.
Apart from receiving my degree, the other highlight was the guest speaker Yvonne Willering, she was fantastic.
Did not spot any of my tutors at the reception afterwards, which was a shame.  I could possibly be in the polytechnic newsletter, as the media officer and a photographer came up to me and asked if it was OK if they could take my photo with my family and guests.
Overall I had a fantastic afternoon mostly due to the fact that I had much more support this time around than when I received my diploma.