7,000 Tassels

This week, I’ve been surrounded by joy.

Over 7,000 students are graduating. That’s 7,000 stories, struggles, triumphs, and moments of wild perseverance. I’ve been lucky enough to witness a little sliver of that joy, cheering, clapping, handing out pins, fixing crooked caps, taking family photos and occasionally tearing up.

Yes, I’m exhausted. But I’m also full. These long days are a reminder of what it means to grow, to finish something hard, and to step into something new. And tomorrow I am part of it as I watch my own kid cross the stage. This is a massive week.

This is life.

You show up day after day, not sure if it’ll come together. You wrestle with doubt. You keep going. Then one day, you cross a stage, literal or metaphorical, and you realize: You did it.

I haven’t had time for many stickers or illustrations this week (unless you count doodling on the corner of my notes), but this week still feels deeply fulfilling.

So this is me, marking the moment. And sending a giant, heartfelt congratulations to anyone who’s finishing something, beginning something, or just managing to keep going.

You’re magic. And I see you. ✨

—Kathleen