A Niece Graduates (and an Uncle Reflects)

When my niece Bridget was making her decision about colleges four years ago, I was beyond thrilled that two Boston schools were in her sights: Boston College, my alma mater, and Boston University. And she loved the idea of Boston, which thrilled me even more. (At that time in my life, I decided on Boston College sight unseen after an early acceptance, without ever having visited Boston.) My alma mater gave her a deferred acceptance, which was absolutely their loss, and she wisely decided on Boston University.

Bridget took her four year journey by storm. Early in her freshman year, she made some quick discoveries about her preferences and realized she was more interested in business than in arts and sciences. The big surprise was her decision to get into rowing, a decision that awakened something huge. Her focus, her dedication, her drive and her passion were olympic in scope, and she was part of a winning women’s rowing team that took home a lot of trophies and personally earned her an impressive collection of medals. There’s nothing like a group extracurricular to learn how to be part of a team and to get a real sense of accomplishment. She earned it.

Bridget graduated this weekend.

Since I have no kids of my own, I have to cry at the accomplishments of my nieces and nephews. It’s such a joy to watch them grow up over the years, discover who they are (and who they aren’t), achieve victories, make mistakes, learn and become real adults. It all happens so fast. It only seems like a month ago when I met my sister in Boston to attend Bridget’s orientation at BU, watching her wide-eyed at so many of the prospects and possibilities in front of her. As I said before, she ran with it. She didn’t just “attend” Boston University. She participated and made a contribution. She was a part of it. I’m so proud of her.

As I write this, I’m on the Acela train back to Manhattan after the big weekend in Boston, trying not to let my neighbors in the quiet car see me cry. You see, Bridget is also my goddaughter. Not that godparents in our culture play a massive role in kids’ lives, but when my sister asked me to be her godfather, it meant something. I love all of my nieces and nephews beyond measure. I would take a bullet for any of them and give them all the coat off my back (I literally gave my nephew Patrick the coat off my back this past New Year’s Eve), and I try very hard to be a show-up kind of uncle. But because of my sister’s request twenty-two years ago, Bridget will always have a special place in the VIP lounge of my heart.

I love college graduations. They are huge accomplishments. And I have never forgotten the combined feelings of joy, excitement, fear and terror that commencement brought me. I imagine the same is true for Bridget. At the end of this week, she’ll be heading out to Los Angeles with a school mate to begin building her adult life.

These are scary times for the young ones starting out right now, and there really is no such thing as job security in this gig economy. The commencement speaker, former chairwoman of CBS Entertainment Nina Tassler, implored the graduates to embrace fear:

“Accepting fear head-on is freeing, specifically the fear of change… Throughout my career, the pounding in my heart, the fright has been ever-present, but I never turned back. Fear can be a highly motivational part of the journey.”

I couldn’t have agreed more.

Bridget has a couple of meetings lined up, and I’m trying to think of any connections I might have that could get her in front of someone at a studio or entertainment company (HBO? Netflix? Paramount? Marvel?) for help with a ground-level job where she can pay her dues and learn the business. Given the right opportunities for growth, she’d be unstoppable. However, I don’t have any of these connections. That just means she’ll have to find her own job. She’s just graduated so that’ll look good on a resume. I’m not sure if she knows how to write one though. If she doesn’t, I could always recommend some resources, like these CV templates for example. Following a professional template could make all the difference for her. Hopefully, she gets a job and can carry on pursuing her dream career.

I’m excited for Bridget, and I’m nervous for her, but I’m incredibly hopeful for her, too. What she demonstrated academically and athletically are clues to her smarts, her work ethic and her commitment. I don’t just say this because she’s my niece and my goddaughter, but I really do think she’s going places. And I can’t wait to see where those places are.

A huge bonus of an endnote…

On Monday, May 16th, the front page of the Metro section of The Boston Globe featured a story on Boston University’s commencement the day before. The featured photo included… wait for it… my niece Bridget (the ecstatic blonde on the left).

The print edition.

The featured photo, with Bridget on the left.