Go Get That Piece of Paper
Graduation is more than the party. Show up for your family. Show up for yourself.
It’s graduation season. So here’s a little message to the ones in gowns and tassels—and maybe even more so to the ones on the fence about attending at all.
In April of 1995, I submitted the final projects of my college career on the literal last morning of the deadline. After a series of all-nighters and weeks of creative exhaustion, I placed a polystyrene model of a building on my professor’s desk, hands still sticky with glue, delirious from no sleep.
My dad helped me assemble that model that morning. He’d driven to Oakville to pick me up after I wrapped up my final semester at Sheridan College’s Illustration Program (Technical Option), and instead of honking the horn outside or waiting in the car, he came in, sat down, and helped me glue some tiny architectural columns together. Then he drove me to the college.
That’s a memory that’s etched into me forever. And on this Father’s Day weekend, it hits me again: Thanks, Dad.
What didn’t get etched into memory? Graduation.
I didn’t go. Didn’t walk across the stage. Thought I was “too cool for school™.” I didn’t want to rent the robe, wear the tie, or sit through what I assumed would be a drawn-out ceremony. My roommates were all going—dressed up with family in tow—but I declined.
And when their families came to pick them up that day, glowing with pride, heading off to the ceremony and then to dinner, I watched them leave. It hit me instantly: I missed it.
I didn’t get that moment.
Didn’t give it to my parents.
Didn’t give it to myself.
My parents, ever supportive and non-pushy, simply accepted my choice. But it’s a regret I carry to this day.
So here’s my message to today’s grads—at any level:
Go get that piece of paper.
Sure, the grad party is fun. The prom is memorable. The last night out with friends is iconic.
But those things are for you.
The ceremony?
That’s for you, too—but it’s also for the people who lifted you up and carried you across the finish line. The ones who helped pay your way, who cheered you on, who quietly supported you through all-nighters, paper deadlines, panic attacks, and growing pains.
Graduation is more than a diploma or a scroll. It’s a ritual. A marker in time. A rare opportunity to hit pause and recognize what you’ve done and who helped you do it.
Take it from someone who skipped it: you will regret missing that moment.
I think about my own kids now, 22 and 19.
My daughter was named valedictorian of her Grade 8 class in 2020, the first spring of the pandemic. She never got to give her speech in front of classmates or walk across a stage. No class trip to Ottawa. No prom. No ceremony. Just a car parade through town with families waving from porches—a creative and kind workaround, sure—but not the real thing.
My son had the final two years of high school flattened by the pandemic, too. Remote learning. Missed milestones. No grad, no prom. These are years and moments you can’t get back.
So now, more than ever, I believe this: if the moment is there, take it. Dress up. Walk that stage. Let the people who love you clap. And let yourself feel proud.
Even if it feels “cringe.” Even if you think you don’t care. You might not realize how much it means until it’s gone.
In my studio—actually, right on the shelf behind me—is my framed Sheridan diploma. I didn’t walk the stage to receive it, but I did earn it.
And you know what? My dad had it framed for me. Quietly. Proudly. He gave it to me as a gift not long after I graduated. I didn’t ask. He just did it.
Because he knew.
That piece of paper mattered.
Go get yours. And let yourself be seen.
At Orbit Studios, we don’t just believe in great design—we believe in lifting people up, celebrating milestones, and championing the next generation of creatives. If you’re looking for an inspirational speaker, a guest voice in your classroom, or a mentor for emerging talent, let’s talk.
Because every step forward deserves a spotlight.
Absolutely agree. I couldn't make it out to Ottawa (from YVR) for my youngest daughter's UOttawa grad last week but my other daughter and I watched for two hours on line so we could be part of it all. Many screen shots and giggles later, Janey graduated summa cum laude and I welled up with pride. Your words were a perfect reminder of just how important all aspects of education are to one's self and one's family.