Graduation Weekend.

I think if you’ve been paying attention to my life at all you know that I graduated from college on December 15. The following blog is an attempt to recap the graduation weekend which was beyond all things amazing and memorable. Thanks to all who were involved. We start our adventure on Monday, December 10.


Monday, December 10.
My final day of finals started off pretty normally. I woke up around 6:30 and then lounged in bed until about 8:00. I had spent the entire day before studying for my two physics finals. Around 9:15, I hopped on my bike and rode over to the science building to await my academic fate. I felt pretty confident about my multiple choice Acoustics final but my Analog Electronics final had the potential to be painful and hard as crap. Luckily, I only needed to score about 50% on both of the exams to keep my A’s in the classes. No pressure. The Acoustics final came and went pretty well. The last section of stuff we studied was SO fascinating. It was about Information Theory and how messages inherently carry a certain amount of information that is quantifiable. And of course every one I’ve told about Information Theory thinks it’s cool but also agrees that I am undeniably a dork. Point taken.

I inhaled a little lunch in between exams and then nervously tackled the Analog Exam. It was five questions (as opposed to the normal four) with three questions of material from previous tests and two questions of material learned in the last two weeks of the semester (Mmmm…active filters and op-amps). I have no idea how I really did on it but obviously well enough to get an A for the semester. As soon as I turned in my exam, I exited the science building for the last time and headed to the KUC to pick up my cap and gown. After braving the madness, I got on my bike and Pomp and Circumstance echoed in my head over and over again (I would later explain this experience to my sister via Google Chat where I wrote “Bah dah dah dah daaaaah dah, daaah dah dah dah daaaaah” which she correctly interpreted as Pomp and Circumstance). The smile on my face was about as ridiculous as could be. Upon returning to my apartment, I was greeted by “YOU’RE DONE!” from my roommate who was subsequently going to Sonic for a late lunch. I tagged along for a celebratory Holiday Mint Blast. I came back to my apartment and rejoiced in being done.

All semester long the marker board on my door acted like my real live facebook status. It says “I’m…” and I fill in the blank so my roommate knows where I am and when I’ll be back. This particular Monday, my board read, “I’m…finishing college.” I have yet to erase it.

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Friday, December 14, 2007. Graduation Eve.
Most of my week was spent working at my aunt’s office and trying to do last minute cooking and prep for brunch and the grad party. I spent all day Thursday cooking.

One of the highlights of the week was my attending the 615 Holiday Party at Dave and Busters. We arrived more than fashionably late. After rushing through dinner, all 30 of us went to bowl on one lane (really more like 8 people on each of the two lanes) which resulted in a bowling game that lasted for about two hours. In the end, Jeremy won, with Mark in close second and me in third (with a 130 breaking my royally sucking at bowling streak). There was also the robots video (“It’s robot time already?”) that I may try to upload and just all around funtimes. Mark owned at air hockey but that’s okay because I never claimed to be good at that. Jeremy and I found a pretty cool first person shooter game that we conquered pretty well. Fun was had by all and I walked away saying, “Damn, I really wish they would hire me.”

Thursday evening I drove back to Murfreesboro to do last minute shopping and prep for brunch. My roomie and I braved traffic to go to Hobby Lobby and Old Time Pottery and to experience Red Robin. Then a quick trip to the grocery store and twenty-four delicious wraps later, I was left pondering my impending graduation. More than anything I tried to enjoy every last minute of that week and soak in anything and everything college that I had forgotten to enjoy. I also picked up some cool swag at the bookstore for the dual purpose of decorations for the party and for my use post-festivities.

Friday morning I woke up and checked my computer constantly for information about Juli’s flight. Finally around 10:30 when the flight had left and I couldn’t stand waiting around in my apartment anymore, I packed my stuff and headed for the airport. My best friend in the whole freaking wide world came to my graduation after jetting from a final Thursday afternoon (yeah she was in Nashville by Friday at noon after driving from Indy to Valpo on Thursday then, on Friday, hopping on a bus to Midway in Chicago and then flying to ol’ BNA). YAY! I’ve been trying to convince Juli to move to Nashville (so if you know of anyone who is looking for a fresh outta college journalism student, lemme know—esp. in magazines) since I moved back here and I don’t know if I am making any headway, but I always try to show her a decent time while she is here. That being said, we went home and while I reminisced about Governor’s School (which Juli tolerated very well) and worked on Matt’s shirt, Juli let the scrapbooker in her out while she made fantastic little placecards for all the desserts we had prepared for the party.
Soon after finishing our arts and crafts project, the Whomptons arrived with Raina in tow. She was a little shocked by all the people but managed to do amazingly all weekend long. Juli and I gushed over Raina and played with her as long as she would let us. Dinner was the infamous Whitt’s meal that my mom cooks and we all sat around and talked during the evening. My last evening as a college student was far from eventful or even really interesting, but I spent it with the best possible company I could really ask for.


Saturday, December 15, 2007—Graduation Day

The day the countdowns had led me to had finally arrived. I apologetically stirred Juli out of bed at 6:00 a.m. and we headed down to the ‘Boro, after a quick stop at the Donut Den for muffins, donut holes, and cinnamon rolls. We both changed into our cute outfits for the day and started getting the food ready for brunch. Around 9:00 a.m. there was a knock at our door. Angie’s parents had gotten bored at the hotel and so they came over a little early. They did a dry run of the food and gave it good reviews and we mainly spent the next two hours hanging out in the apartment chatting and waiting for more people to come. Aunt Ginny arrived around 9:45, closely followed by Leah, and the McCoy clan. (I ran into Leah walking up to the apartment as I was on the phone with Jeremy who was asking if he was too early). Food and festivities followed. While I played hostess, Juli answered the door (I could not have done this whole weekend without you my friend.) Mom and the Whomptons arrived around 10:15 and Emily and Dad showed up at 11:00. There were pictures and a collective game of Raina Dog and good conversation all around. Leah departed around 11:15 and then I realized how late it was getting. I tromped upstairs and made the last preparations, grabbed my cap and gown, and gave final instructions for the rest of the clan remaining in the apartment until it was time for graduation.


At 11:50, I jumped in my car and frantically drove the two minutes down the road to the Murphy Center. With cap and gown in hand, I parked in the muddy lot across from the marquee and sprinted to the basement level of the Murphy Center. When I walked in, I looked for the list for lineup. I mistakenly ended up looking at the faculty lineup and was then directed to the correct list by a friendly security officer standing in the corner. 2-7-14. Gymnasium 2. Row 7. Seat 14. Gym 2 was right there so I skedattled in and found my roommate playing with her graduation present (a new iPhone…cool!). As the gym filled up with other cap-and-gown wearing kids, it really started to hit me. THIS IS HAPPENING. I am graduating from college. Time seemed to pass by so slowly as we just stood around waiting for direction. Finally around 12:30, they directed us to go stand in our respective rows. There were wood blocks on the floor with stenciled numbers. Everyone found their rows and then proceeded to ask “What seat are you?” I found number 12 in my row and 13 never showed. After about another 15 minutes of standing around, they passed out our name cards which were the key to us actually walking at the cue of our name. They also pointed out that our dear friend Justin who was at the beginning of the Mass Comm line held THREE cards. The additional two pink cards were to alert the reader that we were graduates from the College of Mass Communication NOT the College of Liberal Arts. After all, we didn’t want to shake THEIR dean’s hand. More instructions were doled out. “Men take off your caps during the moment of silence. Don’t lose your card. Don’t leave before the ceremony is over. Congratulations…” etc. And then, before we knew it, it was 12:59 and the ceremony was beginning. The procession waited until the other gym of students could walk around the basement of the Murphy Center to enter though the opposite tunnel.

As I exited the gym and entered the hallway, I saw Dr. McPhee, the university’s president with whom I had had a PR interview the previous week for being an honor’s graduate from the state of Tennessee. I smiled at him and the next thing I know I am walking into the Murphy Center. It seemed like the arena was packed. Sure there were empty seats, but I didn’t immediately see them. Man, all these people were here to see us—to see the pomp and circumstance. This is really happening. As this thought settled I heard, “OH! There’s Stephanie. STEPHANIE!!” My mom, dad, sister, brother and wife and child, aunt, best friend, and boyfriend and his family were seated right in the lower center section of the arena. I waved and they all waved back and the tears starting welling in my eyes. They all looked so freaking proud. Eric and Krystal pointed at me and told Raina, “Look! There’s Stephanie.” When we made eye contact, she got this adorable smile of recognition on her face and that helped me swallow back the tears and continue marching.

I ended up on the end of a row seated next to the “special guests” section including some congressmen, the grad speaker’s husband, Lady McPhee and others. The girl sitting on my right was very persistent at texting and chewing her gum and joking with her friend in front of her. Whatever. This was my day and no one was going to ruin it. We stood while the procession finished and the music vamped for the one hundredth time. I hunted for professors that I had had, but very few of my professors actually attended graduation which was pretty disappointing. McPhee directed us to sit down and we went through the various people who must be recognized. I had a very clear view of the Jumbotron and a less clear view of the stage (One can’t see over those mortarboards very well). At one point during the schpeels, I just closed my eyes and thought, Take in this moment. This is it. You are really here. TAKE IT IN. Live it. Remember it. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes again, so I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I looked around the arena to see people in the seats still waving at their kids on the floor trying to get their attention. I was grateful I could turn around at any point and know exactly where my supporters were.

The speaker was alright. She started off well with, “Parents, be grateful your son or daughter is here today because after today they will have single-handedly doubled their earning potential.” Har har. It was all downhill from there. When she got to the part about the chocolate pies and the you-got-where-you-are-because-you-don’t-want-to-disappoint-people, I pretty much gave up. I had several more “soak it in” moments and I was grateful for those. Then, the speaker finished. Before they started calling names, those graduating with honors got to stand up. I patiently waited until they stated, “All those graduating with our highest honors, Summa Cum Laude, please stand and be recognized.” I stood and smiled. Damnit, I worked hard to stand and be recognized for ten seconds and I was going to enjoy it. Then came the 700 names to be called. Now, the College of Mass Communications is the last college to graduate so we had to wait a while. A long while. Dang liberal arts people…Yeesh. Actually I knew a person or two here and there enough that I was able to stay awake and excited. Before too long, the rows behind us were getting up and then my row stood up. As we walked down the center aisle towards the back I’m thinking, “Cap on straight? Check. Stoles straight? Check. Hair okay? Check.” I walked by my crew again and they waved happily and proudly. And then I was standing in line at the stage, which suddenly looked much shorter. I handed over my name card and nervously watched it get added into the shuffle. Then I stepped up the two steps and the cue lady at the side of the stage grabbed my arm.

I took a deep breath.

“Stephanie Lynn Compton.”

It was tunnel vision. All I saw was Dr. McPhee smiling and holding out his hand. I shook. He said, “Stephanie, congratulations.” I replied, “Thank you Dr. McPhee” (*photos snap*). And I took my diploma [case] and continued down the line of hands to shake. “Congratulations on your honors,” the graduation speaker said as she shook my hand. I continued down the steps, stopped for a moment as I watched those in front of me pose for their in-front-of-the-flag-with-diploma [case] photo. When it was my turn, I put my feet on the small piece of paper with feet drawn on them, smiled, and then it was done. I looked up at my family as I walked back to my seat. They smiled and waved, even more proudly. When I asked Juli about my walk later, she said that all my guests had cheered loudly and wildly, but I hadn’t heard it. All I could see was the path to the president and across the stage. I sat in my seat while the adrenaline continued to pump. I took a few more deep breaths and did the only thing left to do—watch and wait. As the last rows marched up to the stage and the line up to the stage grew shorter, the murmur among the crowd grew louder and by the time the final graduate’s name was announced, the whole arena had erupted into excited cheers and clapping. It was amazing.

We stood and moved our tassels and marched out. I waved one last time at my family (and my best friend who might as well be family) as I exited and I laughed as I noted that they were already sitting in section J which had been abstractly chosen as our rendez-vous point after the ceremony. I hurried back into the gym, grabbed my stuff and then made my way outside and around the building. As I rushed towards the top level of the Murphy Center, I had various random people tell me “Congratulations” as I walked by. It was somewhat odd, like there weren’t 700 other people dressed like me wandering around. I shimmied my way hastily through the crowd and finally found section J. The whole crew was waiting to give hugs and pats on the back. We headed out of the hot gym and took a couple mandatory Compton family photos. Juli and Aunt Ginny came with me, while the others opted to walk back to my apartment, despite the threatening clouds (actually because of a lack of a car seat in my car). Then, the clouds unleashed their fury. We took back roads back to my apartment and found Mom and Emily in the driving rain along the way. They hopped in the car and we went back to the apartment to meet up with everyone else. The Whomptons headed back to Nashville while the rest of us took more pictures and packed up the food. Juli and I were the last ones out of the apartment with an assortment of stuff in tow.


The drive back to Nashville was full of traffic. What would my last real commute be without rain and ridiculous traffic?

Rosemary, a family friend, was already at our house preparing dinner (that was her gift to my mom) when we all got home. We were eating one of my all-time favorite meals, Sweet and Sour Chicken. So with ten people crammed around our table (definitely not made for that many people—a new record!), we hastily ate dinner trying not to bump elbows with one another. Once we had finished, the table was stripped of our dishes and we started busting out the desserts. Juli helped me reconstruct the MTSU-themed center piece while Emily and Krystal moved the furniture in the den to be more Wii-friendly. On the table we plated the spread including chocolate mint desert, peanut butter balls, banana bread, lemon bread, fudge, cranberry bread, truffles, burbon balls, fruitcake, Christmas tree cookies, pineapple cherry throw cake, fudge ecstacies, chocolate chip walnut pie, date balls, and I think that’s it. We also had some spiked eggnog that I thought was quite delicious, but very tame for all you real drinkers out there.

Jeremy and Kayla arrived around 6:30 after venturing out on the Wii-quest that became quite the quest indeed. We got it all set up and did a few test runs before the guests started arriving. (Many thanks to DanB for letting us borrow it!!). After dominating in bowling, I let the others have a shot. Around 7:15, the doorbell rang—FIRST GUESTS! I open the door to see 615ers Mark, Bo and Traci. I introduced them around and before I could spend even two minutes talking to them, the doorbell rang again. John (my choir director from church in high school) and Keith had arrived. Hugs all around and after they arrived, it seemed like there was no stopping the stream of people. The Parkers, Nancy, the HH crew (Jen, Anna, Anna, and Sally), and Nate and his girlfriend. The presence of all these people, plus my family and my best friend and my boyfriend…life was so freaking good. There was dessert eating, eggnog drinking, Wii-playing and good times had by all. It was great to get a chance to catch up with everyone and just enjoy the amazing people that I know* (see below all you amazing people!). At 8:00 p.m. we played a rousing round of trivia. If you want to know the questions and such, I will happily post them in a separate blog where you can read them. I pitted boyfriend vs best friend for team captains. Alas, it seems the boyfriend team won, but only by 50 points, and if I had taken the time to add the questions from various tests I had taken in college, I think Juli’s team might have had the edge. Nice work all around.

As people began to trickle out and say their goodbyes, the night wrapped up. Around 9:00, almost everybody was gone except for my family members, Jeremy and Kayla, Juli and Anna P. I grabbed Anna on her way out and we retreated to my room where I finally let out the tears that had been swallowing back all day long. I didn’t cry because I was upset. They were genuine tears of happiness. While there is a factor of things coming to an end, this is also a beginning. I was just very overcome with emotion all day long and I forced myself to hold it together, but as Anna and I sat in my room eating pie, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The faucets turned on and I let it out, red puffy eyes and all. I had had such an amazing day. One of the first days in a while that I genuinely did not want to end and sure it was cool we were celebrating my accomplishments, but I was more pleased with having my family (biological and not), my support system, together and here. Granted, it was not every part of my support system either, but even since graduation, I have had the chance to catch up with friends that I haven’t had time to speak to in four years. I’ve received letters and phone calls and facebook messages that remind me of why these people have made an impact in my life and why I felt the need to send them announcements or invites in the first place.

One of my greatest strengths and at the same time one of my greatest flaws is that I commit myself 100% to everything I do. I told myself to commit to living in the moment on this important day and to feel and experience every single moment. I did it and it was truly overwhelming. That’s what put me in tears as Anna said, “I am so proud of you.” I had had a really great day and I want to commit it to memory for the rest of my life—the pomp and circumstance, the festivities, and most importantly, the people. After the party was over and the den furniture was moved back in place, and the last guests left, we cleaned up and Juli and I plopped into bed. No sooner had our heads hit the pillow were we asleep.

*Above everything else that I took away from this weekend, I have realized that I have such amazing people in my life. Not only the people that were at the party but all my friends and family everywhere who love me or care about me or just want me to find success. I could stop and take a moment to talk about each one of you and how you have made my life better somehow. But, I think this entry has gone on long enough, so what I will say to all you, in the very least, is thank you. Thank you for being you, for pushing me, challenging me, supporting me, teaching me, loving me, hating me, and caring enough to be there when I need you to do whatever it is you do best. You have touched a life and however lame and cheesy that may sound, I say it as genuinely as I possible can, and I hope one day you will realize how amazing that is. With that being said, keep me posted on what you are up to and I will always be there for you, no matter what.