by Uma Cormier-Marri

They were all given the same gown and cap. The same colors representing the same school, and the same tassels, just waiting there, ready to be flipped. Everyone was given the same clean slate. But yet, as you look across the sea of chairs and caps and gowns, you don’t see the same shell of a person. You see all of the hard volunteer hours they worked in their national honor society sole. Their cords hang around their neck as a reminder of the moment they decided to step out of their comfort zone and join that new club, or apply for a position they thought was way out of their league. Atop their head rests the people, quotes, and lyrics that got them through highschool, all fit onto the small surface of a cap. As you look out onto the sea of chairs and caps and gowns, you can see so clearly what these students have done with their blank slate.