Opportunity

This year a great many things came together for me: finishing a Masters in Creative Writing in the very same country that fed me stories and characters and the joys within the letters spread within any given page (and thus made me want to become a writer myself); happily graduating in early December, however wet the storm made me be that day; enjoying mystical London during Samhain and Yule with my new friends in the city (and my sister ever present in the distance); and the chance to surround myself with amazing people from all over the world, who are close to me even across countries and oceans and time differences...

Starting a whole new cycle as the year comes to a close, as the Moon starts its Winter round and my age gains a smallish quantity as January tip-toes, makes me realise I need to find a way to honour this feeling of growth and movement, and the best way I could think of was a blog...  I am a writer; I knit Fantasy from icy British December evenings and sunny beaches off the coast of Spain.  I talk with Athos and Legolas and the Cheshire Cat...  or sometimes with Jo March, if I ever need writing advice.  I weave the long Sierras of Mexico into a memory my Cassandra also has; I chant into my notebook a few long lists of what my characters should be like (sometimes for a second too long before I realise that I should write them down with my pen instead), and I travel to and from the Cemetery of Lost Books to find a treasure yet unread... and I justify all my forgetfulness with the simple words “I’m sorry, I’m a writer, so, you know...?”.

So to commemorate my graduation and my new beginning, I start this blog with the Student Orator Speech that I auditioned for the post with. I did not get it, but it was always my intention to hand it to the world, and since I cannot think of a better way to express my gratitude to Newcastle University, to my fabulous teachers, my wonderful friends, and my overall amazing luck at having experienced everything I did, I go ahead and post it here tonight.

Good morning everyone, Headmasters and Deans; Professors, Lecturers and Fellows; members of the Faculty staff; fellow Graduates; dear family and friends.  It is a great honour to have been chosen to speak in the name of my school, and I hope my words will give credit to all of our thoughts and feelings on this happy day.

Opportunity.  That is the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Newcastle University.  I am sure I’m not alone in considering our alma matter an open door towards professional and personal growth: after all, in studying here we all took a path that began with very high-quality education and will undoubtedly lead us towards the realization of our greatest life-goals.

We stand here as we finish this grand period of our lives, with our eyes joyful and our chins up high, for yes, we must feel proud of what we’ve achieved.  We must know that however hard it might have been for those of us who came from far away to leave a home, or for those that were from around to get used to a new routine, or for all of us to work through the complexities and intricacy of academic life, my friends, we did it!  We graduated from the University that we chose and that chose us (because, finding a University is a little bit like falling in love: you look at all of its qualities and attributes, you compare and contrast between institutions, and then, when you have selected the one, you declare yourself to it and proceed to hope that it will be as smitten with you as you are with it.  I know that was the way in my case).

When the University accepted me I was beyond myself, mostly because my degree does not exist in my country, but also because between all the institutions where it does exist, Newcastle offered a better programme, highly-qualified professors, and a more striking campus (yes, anyone who knows me knows that I am head over heels for the Arches... I mean, who isn’t?).  And I am certain that I’m not the only one with that story to tell!  The story about finding our place to be, to become and to evolve, is a story we all share and that binds us in our choice and its fine outcomes.

And weren’t our teachers great, by the way?  Full of invaluable wisdom, always pushing us to give our best in our papers, assignments and tests, and also always willing to lend a hand when we struggled.  We can trust that these people, so experienced and effective, give it all when it comes to instructing us.  Being a Professor, a Lecturer, a Fellow, a Tutor, it’s no easy job...  they have to learn the name and background of each student, know their strengths and weaknesses, remember what we all said in previous classes and link it to new commentaries.  But most of all, they have to be patient with our process of learning, with each and every one of us.  And to do it objectively, on top of that! True, in this context, postgraduate studies, we’re all adults and so the communication flows a lot more easily, but they need diplomacy still, and that’s an invaluable quality.  These are people who work towards professional improvement every day of their lives in order to provide us with helpful lessons and precious additions to our curriculum.  Wasn’t it in fact that classroom life was full of breakthroughs, concept-grasping, and alterations to our paradigms? There is so much lore within these walls, intertwined with history and progress, that our perceptions grew acute, and inevitably we walk out with sharper minds inside our pretty heads.  I tip my hat to our teachers, because they did a grand job and they deserve our admiration, respect and gratitude; and wherever significant we land later in life, it will be in great part due to them.

But classroom life would not have been the same without our amazing support groups, would it?  I’m willing to bet that nearly everyone here made at least a best friend out of a classmate.  And the ramifications of that are always good, from getting together to go over each other’s writings and projects (a more “professional” outlook to the relationship), to fun times at home while cooking and watching movies, or nightly outings or trips to other cities.  Beyond a doubt, the bonds formed inside the school can and will go a long way, so hold on and cherish them.

Nonetheless, school was certainly not the only place to make friends, especially considering the amount of people most of us were living with: whether you were staying at a place like Leazes Terrace, with four hundred other occupants and a complex shared kitchen usage; at a place like Central Link, in a little flat that made you feel perhaps more professional; or at a rented house, where maybe you felt more homelike... or maybe you were living in your own house, were you undoubtedly were at home.  In any case, whatever living arrangement you had, I can only assume that the roof over your head provided you with more than just warmth and protection, but also with amazing friends for life.  The kind of friends that stuck by you through sickness and sunshine withdrawals, that were pleased for quiet nights at The Trent House or Bar Loco just as much as going to Perdu or Tokyo or Revolution just as long as you were all together… in short, the kind of friends that will dance with you not only to the music but also to the rhythm of your hopes and dreams and revelations. 

Revelations did I say?  I do not mean dirty little secrets (though I’m pretty sure there were some of those here and there).  I mean the discovery of the abilities, inclinations, and possibilities that University life brings out in us.  As a student, every so often you feel surprised at unearthing an aptitude that lay well hidden inside you, whether it is playing a sport you enjoy, trying out for something adventurous like fell walking or trampolining, or finding out that you are in fact good at Math, salsa dancing or solving murder mysteries.  Finding the energy and courage to go for this type of activity is highly rewarding, and in the end, in a way we can say that we reinvented ourselves.  And the best part is, everything you tried out during your programme becomes part of you, making you bit by bit a more creative, capable, talented individual.  We all now have the chance to step back and compare our new selves with whom we used to be before starting our programmes.  And aren’t we just going to love those people?

So, during this year or couple of years we walked, aided sometimes by our tutors, accompanied often by our friends and classmates, and now we have reached the point of completion.  But this is not the end. No, by any means!  This is just a brand new beginning, shiny and fresh in all its glory.  Yes, it might make us want to crawl back into the safety of school, especially when we see how big the world is, and how difficult it can be to make it out there in “real life”.  But fear not, my friends and companions.  Fear not, because we have learned and we have created a better self, and the University has given us all the tools necessary for success; it’s up to us how we use them.  The good news is, we’re all pretty smart, so we’ll all be able to use them well, right?  There is in fact a broader path in front of us, full of possibilities that we could not have imagined before, so it’s up to us to walk along it and take advantage of them.

And so we return to OPPORTUNITY: Newcastle University gave us the opportunity to study here, in this wonderful city, as it is; our teachers gave us the opportunity to learn and think and discover; our friends gave us the opportunity to dance and travel and enjoy.  But most of all, we gave ourselves the opportunity to live and complete this altogether brilliant experience. 

Thank you all.

Congratulations Graduates, and Cheers!

Sandra Tena ≈ Writer, healer, seeker, lover

You can find my Amazon Author Page at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandra-Tena/e/B00NWBFY6E/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Or find me on Facebook as Sandra Tena Cole, on Twitter as @PageStageSandra, on Mandy Actors as Sandra Cole, and on Instagram as @sandracoleportfolio