Commencement

My family saw me receive my diploma on Sunday. They arrived 10-15 minutes before they started 

calling out the names. Saturday night when they missed their connecting flight to Hartford, I didn’t think they were going to make it after all. It was too bad Delta couldn’t work miracles and the US didn’t have a national high-speed rail. What matters is that I saw them in the audience as I was waiting for my name to be called.

Here is what was noted in the program:

Salima Mbelechi Etoka, Idaho, B.A., summa cum laude, with honors in Political Science, with honors in Urban Studies, with honors in French.

Member of Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Gamma Mu.

My sister who stayed home to compete in the state track meet did well individually and her team took first. My family stayed with me for two days before heading back to Idaho. We enjoyed touring Hartford and getting to see where I spent the last three years. Overall, it was a great weekend celebrating all our accomplishments with friends, family, faculty, staff and everyone else who helped us get to this part of the journey.

As I stated in the previous post, I am thankful for everyone who helped me get here today! I couldn’t have done it without you. As I go to DC this summer and NYC in the fall, I am taking the lessons I have learned along this journey and looking forward to the next part of my life. It's been a great experience documenting my college years through this blog.

Photos: Taking photos after the ceremony; President Berger-Sweeney, my sister and I take a photo in tent city.