GRADUATION

By Agatha (11 Social)

Graduation means receiving or conferring of an academic degree or diploma. As the matter of fact, we are going to graduate at least 4 times. At the end of Primary School, Middle School,  High School, and University. Even now, some people do make a graduation ceremony for kindergartens. Graduation itself is a time when people celebrate their success of passing through the level of education, a completion of studies. In Indonesia, for primary school, there are 6 grades. For middle school and high school, 3 grades each. Then they go to university, which depends on what major they take to know how long it takes to graduate.

In Indonesia, usually, school will have a graduation ceremony after the students get their National Exam results. Beforehand, the graduates have to fit in a graduation gown and cap for graduating, which the school provides them. So, the female students usually wear Kebaya underneath the gown, and for male they wear Batik. It is a formal event that we all have to wear something that is formal and also show that Indonesia has a bit different tradition than other countries.

For the event, normally, our parents will be attending too, they will be seated in different rows, dress up formally, and of course looking proud of us. Then the ceremony starts with a prayer. Then, speeches from our chairmain of the foundation, principal. Later, we also have to sing Indonesia Raya, Hymne Guru, then they call out our names one by one, give us a tube that is filled with our graduation certificate and maybe a flower and a doll. Which are things that arapan Bangsa will usually give you when you graduate. At this time too, occasionally they will announce the best students in academic, in English, in Mandarin, the best teacher(s). Before going home, they set up a photo booth for us to take a memorable photo for one of our memorable days, graduation day.

And after the graduation ceremony, the students usually make another event again together. It can be a farewell party, like a promenade night, inviting all the teachers that have taught us for years, or maybe they collect money to have a trip together. Usually High School students will plan a trip going somewhere together for a week or less. Because after High School, many will go to different universities, some even will go abroad. They will be busier and no time to have fun together again.

For me, graduation is like a phase of life, it can be the best time in our life and it indicates a farewell as well as a new start. Farewell because we have to say goodbye to our friends and teachers and a new start because we will have to adapt again to a new environment, a new style of learning, and also new people. People will expect you to become a better and more mature person. Usually after Middle School, people will start asking about our future. What university are we going to attend, what major are we going to take. And future is not a thing we can predict but we can invent. To invent them isn’t an easy task.

That’s why, after graduating, especially graduating from middle school, most students are busy to find their passion, what are they going to do after graduating, for work, for future. Some of us may have talent but some who doesn’t, they start practising with their abilities, expanding their abilities, trying something new that may help them to improve their abilities