Oh, The Places Weâll Go
By Jody Gifford, Community Connect Program Graduate, Class of 2022
(Jody with her small group, left to right, mentor Nadilia Gomez, Jody, Alexa Strickler, Lacey Little and Megan Grandgeorge)
Graduate: a person who has successfully completed a course of study or training.
A couple weeks ago, I was talking to a friend about Community Connect. She was asking how things were going, if I had landed on a goal (there had been several previously discussed) and if there was anyone I was still hoping to connect with before the end of class. This was just a couple days after the session wrapped and I was happy to share that I was now a graduate of the program.
âDo you actually graduate from something like that?â she asked. I didnât know, honestly. Iâd always thought that was the correct terminology when you completed a program like Community Connect. No, I hadnât put in four years of study or walked across a stage in a cap and gown, but I had completed the requirements of the program and I was ready to head out into the world armed with the tools to live my purpose.
The funny thing is, I thought about this a lot over the next couple days. Could I really call myself a Community Connect âgraduateâ or was I merely a âparticipant?â I needed to know so, of course, I went to Google.
âWhat does it mean to graduate?â
âWhatâs the definition of a graduate?â
âHow do you graduate?â
Answers varied but the one thing they all had in common was the idea that graduation meant completing a course of study or meeting all the requirements of a particular area of study.
Had my fellow Community Connect participants done that? Yes! Creating a purpose statement and a goal were the two main hallmarks of the program and weâd all done the work. In fact, on the last night of the session, we were tasked with sharing those with our fellow participants and mentors.
It was as ceremonious as any graduation as Iâve been to. We lined up with our small groups at the front of the room, printed pages in hand, ready to share what weâd created. It was the first time many of us had ever spoken our purpose statements and goals out loud and we were all, it seemed, a bit nervous about taking that next big step in our journey.
Iâd had the chance to meet just about everyone in the class and had gotten to know a handful of them well over the course of the program. Weâd all collaborated with one another, to some degree, and I personally found that every time Iâd connected with someone new, my purpose statement and goal became more focused and polished because of their help and feedback.
Listening as everyone shared theirs, I realized that weâd all benefited from these connections in class. I could hear it in their words and see it in their faces: theyâd all gained the confidence to leave the classroom, ready to take on the world with what theyâd learned.
Isnât that what graduation is all aboutâtaking what youâve learned and making the world a better place? I think so, and Iâm confident that the 32 of us are going to do great things now that weâve completed, er, graduated from Community Connect.
So, congratulations, Community Connect class of 2022! Stay in touch. I canât wait to hear what youâre up to in the months to come!