The Passage, as Seen by the Family
Walking down the aisles is only a small part of it
There are very few rites of passage left in our culture, but Commencement survives.
After four years, it is a moment for parents as much as it is for the students who made it through. As President Robert A. Brown reminded graduates on Sunday, “Your accomplishments are based on their support. Please acknowledge their role in your life.”
BU Today followed two students — Jimmy Buck (SMG’09) and Danielle Beneville (SED’09) — and their families on Commencement weekend, checking in before the pomp and circumstance began, staying with them as the song faded away. We shared in their fulcrum moment, joining in one of the few ceremonies left that still marks time, that creates a before and after, an ending as well as a beginning.
Above, the Bucks’ Commencement; below, the Benevilles’.
Edward Brown can be reached at ebrown@bu.edu. Amy Laskowski can be reached at amlaskow@bu.edu.
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