Graduation Reflections: Stories About Student Success and Life After College

Graduation season always makes me reflective. In this first short solo episode from my new Making Life Work series, I share some thoughts from commencement weekend at Texas State University.  The stories unfolding behind every graduate walking across the stage — stories about growth, creativity, and figuring out what comes next.

Our students have experience in journalism and storytelling projects, student media, internships, national competitions, and education abroad courses.  I also reflect on my own unexpected journey from journalism and public relations into higher education.

This episode also features remarks from Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse recognizing graduates, mentors, faculty, family members, and the support systems that help students move forward.

In this Episode

• Graduation and personal growth
• Student success and storytelling
• Internships, study abroad, and leadership experiences
• Reinvention, uncertainty, and career journeys

Thanks for listening to Stories of Change & Creativity — documenting growth and making life work, one story at a time.

 
Do you have an idea for a guest interview?  Please let me know. 

Check out my TEDx talk.  Why you should take action - then figure it out.

Transcript

Welcome To Making Life Work

Judy Oskam 0:03

Welcome to Stories of Change and Creativity. I'm Judy Oskam, a journalist, turn professor, mom, and storyteller. Well, from time to time, I'd like to start sharing some short solo reflections as part of a series that I'm calling Making Life Work. They're pretty much stories about how to navigate change and learning from experience. And I want to pull some information from some of my podcast interviews. And if it works, it works. If you like it, I'll continue it. And if not, we'll make a

Graduation Season And Hidden Stories

Judy Oskam 0:38

change. But today I've been thinking about graduation season and maybe more specifically, the stories unfolding inside those graduation ceremonies. On Saturday, I sat with the faculty watching every graduate walk across the stage. And I found myself thinking about how every student carried a different story into that moment. Some stories worked and they unfolded exactly as the people planned, but others changed dramatically along the way. That's just kind of how life is. But somehow all of these stories collided together in one room, and it was just a fun,

Who Stood Beside You

Judy Oskam 1:23

fun experience. Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse reflected on that shared support system that while recognizing not only the graduates, but it was important to do a shout out to the people who stood beside them throughout their journey.

Dr. Kelly Damphousse 1:42

Enjoy this moment and what a moment it is and what a day it is. A day filled with pride and with gratitude and with possibility. So take a moment, take it all in, look around, enjoy this time. Because this moment you've been looking forward to for so long is finally here. And today I challenge you, students, so to be graduates, to think about what it took to get you here today, and about the people who helped you get here along the way. Every one of you is a unique story, a unique path to this very moment, but you know better than anyone, better than I'll ever know that you really faced challenges and didn't get here alone. Somewhere in your life, there were people who believed in you, who encouraged you, who stood beside you and behind you, sometimes walked in front of you. Even when this name felt a million miles away, they were there to push you forward.

Not Taking Milestones For Granted

Dr. Kelly Damphousse 2:42

I know that that means I can't ever come to graduation while I'm thinking about my own college graduation. I went to a comedian college. I graduated and was 19 years old. And I remember thinking of that too. And all I was thinking about was getting through the ceremony and lunch afterwards. I didn't really have any plan. I didn't have a job yet. I didn't have I didn't know what that day meant, but I learned something that day really sunk in much later when I had my own children. I learned that you don't take moments like this for granted, especially when someone who loves you is celebrating tomorrow or today even more than you are.

Judy Oskam 3:19

And I also think about the faculty who guided students forward every day, often behind the scenes. Our faculty are fantastic and they challenge students creatively, they encourage them professionally, they serve as mentors and they help them in all facets of life. They help them recognize their potential in a way that they might never have seen in themselves. One of the things I love most about teaching is really having the opportunity to connect with students. I think about our students who produced incredible journalism and storytelling at student media, students who found confidence covering difficult stories, and did a great play-by-play on the radio. I think about the students who competed nationally and discovered they were capable of more than they ever imagined. The students who pushed themselves creatively into competitions, presentations, campaigns, and projects, and often all of this while balancing jobs. If they were an athlete, that's another layer. Internships, classes, and life outside of the classroom. I think about those students returning from internships with really a different view of themselves and the world. They're more confident, more focused, and they might be a little more aware of where they want to go next. And then you think about education abroad and the students that I traveled with during our Scotland trip and our other trips throughout the years. Students who boarded the plane that were uncertain, some might have never been on an airplane, and they returned, having seen the world and themselves differently. Sometimes the growth is dramatic, and others it's a slow, steady move forward, a new sense of independence. What they realize is that they belong in these spaces that they might have doubted that they could enter. Those moments stay with me. And actually, that's what got me into education in the first place.

A Career Shaped By Surprise Turns

Judy Oskam 5:35

But it wasn't my first career. I started working in journalism and public relations. And while working full-time at Oklahoma State, I decided to go to grad school. Eventually I became a professor and administrator, first at Texas Tech and now at Texas State. And the one thing I've learned is that very few people follow a perfectly mapped-out path. I certainly didn't. Life rarely unfolds that neatly. And I think about that when I look at all of these graduates. When I look back at my own story, so much of it was shaped by the experiences that I never really anticipated. Journalism led me into education, education led me into leadership. And somewhere along the way, storytelling itself changed for me. It became more than simply reporting the news and events. For me, it became about understanding how people navigate growth, uncertainty, and change. I think students sometimes believe that adulthood is really about arriving at a certain destination. But the older I get, and that keeps going too, the more I think life is about a series of evolving chapters. Most people are still figuring things out along the way while they're living and creating their own story.

Take Action Then Figure It Out

Judy Oskam 7:04

One of the ideas I shared in my TEDx talk was take action, then figure it out. And I think the idea connects deeply to storytelling too. Most meaningful stories don't begin with certainty, they begin with action, movement, with curiosity. When someone decides to take that next step before they really know what will unfold. I keep thinking about all our graduates stepping into new chapters, continuing to write their own story. Texas State, it's tradition to jump in the San Marcos River. It's super fun, and maybe it's fitting. Our graduates are leaving Texas State and they're jumping into their future and making life work.

Dr. Kelly Damphousse 7:53

On recommendation of the faculty, by the way, I think it's a record turnout for faculty. Thank you, faculty, for being here.

Jumping Into The Future

Dr. Kelly Damphousse 8:06

On recommendation of the faculty, of our Deans, Provost Aswath and, by virtue of the authority that's been invested in me by the Board of Regents, Texas State University System and by the state of Texas. I hereby confer to you these various degrees that you've earned with all the associated rights, privileges, and responsibilities . congratulations.

Judy Oskam 8:27

Thanks for listening to Stories of Change and Creativity. I'm Judy Oskam