I graduate from the University of Maryland in three weeks.
As I sit here, writing perhaps my final column ever, I can’t help but think about that truly shocking fact. Where did the time go? Or perhaps a better question, how did I get here?
One of my parents’ favorite sayings is “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” It’s not that they don’t care about the “destination,” — we’re Catholics — but it’s about not wishing away time looking forward to something, when you could be doing another thing in the moment. It’s about enjoying and making the most of a week or a season, instead of just waiting impatiently for the weekend, event or holiday.
In that vein, graduation should be a time to celebrate the process that led us here. And for me, that means celebrating the people who were instrumental in making this day possible from Day 1.
My parents. Rob and Susan Dragonette.
When they read this, they will undoubtedly be very upset about being featured. That right there should tell you something important about them. They’re selfless when it comes to parenting their four sons. I could write volumes about the sacrifices they make for us.
From spending countless hours helping develop our values to driving across the state (or country) for baseball games and just about everything else, they have made us their priority. They sent us to Catholic school. They helped us understand algebra, physics and history. They picked us up when we fell and praised us when we succeeded.
They have believed in us — even when we haven’t believed in ourselves. It might be what a parent or guardian thinks they should be doing, but now that I think about it, it’s truly remarkable. They are parents who supported and gave us our passions, from sports to history. Life advice in the car. They have taught us to discern right from wrong, to treat others with love and respect and to work hard to achieve the things we want.
The point is that they have given us many of the tools we use, or at the very least, they have enabled us to develop them. Parents enable their children to empower and make decisions for themselves. Parents give children the confidence and foundation from which to live their life on their own terms.
I still remember when my parents gave me a series of Time-Life World War II books over the course of several birthdays and holidays when I was in middle school. I must have read each of those books 100 times over. I still read and even cite them on occasion. This series and similarly themed gifts helped fuel my passion for the subject. All I knew is that I had some great books to read.
But years later, I realize that these books were an educational supplement, not just for the additional knowledge and vocabulary. No, these books encouraged me to write, research and analyze a subject. I’ve done a senior project on the topic and many papers. I’ll continue to learn more and more because I truly like learning about the war. But most importantly, I have used and developed the skills those gifts inspired to get and keep jobs in fields I hope to work in for my entire life.
You don’t think of these moments when you’re a kid, or at least not often. You mostly worry about enjoying life and getting through school, yet as I realize now, others work incredibly hard to help nurture you along the way.
We love our parents, but we often don’t understand and won’t fully understand their love for us until we’re parents or guardians ourselves. From what I can tell, it’s about sacrifice. Parents aren’t perfect, a few can even do truly terrible things to their children or others. But so many have done so much for so many. We shouldn’t wait for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day to appreciate them, like I myself am all too guilty of doing. They do far too much for us to go unrecognized.
I don’t tell them any of this enough – if at all. But at the beginning of this semester, I realized they deserved public recognition for what they do. And what better way to do it than in a column? After all, they’ve inspired, encouraged and supported me in this passion for a decade.
Today, I’m ready to start work as an auditor in August. I’ll have two degrees and a strong professional network at my side. But more importantly, I’ll have the confidence in myself to seek the opportunities I desire, to make ethical and just decisions and to work my hardest at whatever I choose to do. I’m a work in progress, but I’m proud of who I am as an individual.
And for that, I have my parents to thank. They were the strong foundation I needed to become the individual I am today — and to keep working on being the person I want to be. So, Mom and Dad, thank you. There’s no way I would have done any of this without your support and guidance — and I hope to count on that same support and guidance for many years to come.
Matt Dragonette, former opinion editor, is a senior accounting and government and politics major. He can be reached at mdragonettedbk@gmail.com.
