Graduation is a big deal – it’s a time for celebration, and a time for reflection. It’s a time to pause and think about the struggles and triumphs that made our graduates into the people they are today.

Making it to graduation, walking across the stage, and transforming from student to adult in the span of a few steps, is an accomplishment that not everyone is able to boast. When the notes of “Pomp and Circumstance” float through the rafters, it will be the first time many families will celebrate having a college graduate in their family. We will have students that are the first in their family to attend college, building a brighter future for themselves. They have taken the uncharted course, and we are proud of their decision.

We will also have students who plan to transfer to a college or university to continue their studies. They chose to begin their college career with us, often with classes as early as high school, and have walked through our halls with their eyes on an end goal that many of us won’t see them complete. This is one step in their journey, the first of many steps. We hope they look fondly on their time with us, the instructors that taught them and the friends they have made here.

We will also have students that will leave the graduation stage to walk into full-time employment. They have spent their time here learning the skills they will need to be successful in the workforce. They have the confidence that their lessons will translate into real-world success, and we are excited to see where their careers will take them.

We have students who will walk across the graduation stage who have emerged as campus leaders, who have made a positive difference in their campus communities. These students have looked beyond themselves and worked to create a more welcoming, more inclusive, more fun environment for their fellow students. These students have learned communication and leadership skills along the way that will last a lifetime.

We will also have students walking across the stage that have overcome personal challenges that none of us will ever know about. At times, they seemed to have everything stacked against them, but they are completing their degree in spite of the challenges they faced. If you look around, these are the students that are silently beaming, but there is nothing quiet about their success.

It takes approximately 32 steps to walk across the stage to receive their diploma , but the students who take these steps will be transforming before your eyes — from students to alumni. The walk is short, but the journey is one to be celebrated. I hope you will join me in congratulating the Marshalltown Community College class of 2023!

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Robin Lilienthal is the provost at Marshalltown

Community College.