Tick-Tock! It has been March and April and May and then June and then July and I will officially call myself a University of Manchester Graduate probably called “Coronial Graduate” or the ones that did not have a graduation ceremony as planned.
We are the generation that had to submit dissertations online, hold presentations remotely and say goodbye to campus virtually via the wonderful pictures that the UoM team posts online. I am nostalgic and a bit sad that I did not have a chance to spend the last months in the AMBS Building, have lunch at Uni Place or have some free coffee in the SU Building, but this won’t stop me being proud of the times I had with my colleagues and friends, and I look forward to looking back with a big smile on my face and being thankful for my university years.
Some of us have signed contracts and then lost them, some of us are still standing strong, excited about the job opportunities that are still waiting for us, some of us are applying to masters programmes to gain more skills, some of us are still trying to figure out what is next and some of us just need a break from everything for a while. No move is right or wrong, but what I learnt through university is that in order to shine, you need to be mentally healthy. I love the extra lessons that Manchester gave me: from sustainability to work ethics and mental health, and I am sure that any path we take, UoM Graduates are more prepared and ready than ever.
Manchester, thank you for the support, for opening my eyes, for showing me the world and for the ongoing opportunities. Thank you for the wonderful 4 years, for the rainy days and the rarely sunny ones, for embracing so many cultures in one place, for the laughs, for the successes and for the awards. Thank you for showing me what hard work means and for always getting me out of my comfort zone. Thank you for being there! Thank you for putting me in contact with such bright minds, for giving me the network, the vibe of belonging and for connecting me with people that now I call best friends. Manchester, I am wearing your purple and I am more ready than ever to say: “Hello World!”
An end is a new beginning.
