Congratulations SFF Class of 2023!

At the end of each academic year, I take a little time to compile some photos and offer some celebratory words to the Sustainable Food & Farming graduating seniors.

Earning your bachelor’s degree is a *BIG* deal! Often, the stack of end of the semester to-dos, beginning of summer work (for some), and even moving to a new home or town can make the occasion feel like a blur. Even those who do attend our Commencement ceremonies, I invite you to acknowledge this significant threshold crossing that is graduation.

It might take a while for it to sink in that you’re actually done. Perhaps not even until September when you don’t have to go to (undergrad) classes again. Maybe you finished last fall and completion of your degree already feels like a distant memory. Like January 1st can invite fresh beginnings entering into a new year, or a birthday a moment to reflection on and celebrate life, this completion of your degree is a chance to recognize your work, the community that supported you through the inevitable ups and downs, and the reality that you are indeed a different person now than who you were when you began at UMass.

Whether it’s a fire, a hike, a nap in a hammock, alone or with friends, my invitation is to give yourself permission to just *be* for a minute (or an hour). There can be a lot of pressure to know what comes next, what your career plan is. Instead of asking the overwhelming “What are you doing after college?”, I like to ask, “What are you up to this summer?” because each step on this path is important and it is OK to not know! In times of abundant change, I always try to remember adrienne maree brown’s principle of emergent strategy: “Change is constant. (Be like water).”

And, personally, I like to be *in* water. Swimming is such a special way to help me ground and refresh and punctuate an occasion. Whatever that special activity is for you, I hope you take some time to celebrate yourself, to feel and behold if there are questions alive for you, and to trust the emergence of whatever is unfolding next.

For those who I have been fortunate enough to have in class or in advising, THANK YOU for all that you have shared and taught me. I am truly proud of all of you, amazed by your resilience in making through these particularly complicated years, and aware of your capacity, individually and collectively, to make an impact in our food system. CONGRATULATIONS! You are forever a part of the Stockbridge community…please keep in touch!