I didn’t go to a prestigious #university (according to some polls).
I was ashamed of saying my university’s name out loud.
Whenever I was asked, “Where did you go to school?” I either dodged the question or lied.
I hid my diploma miles beneath the surface in a plastic box.
The place where it could never be seen.
I remember one of the many times I experienced the shame about this part of my identity.
May 14th, 2016.
I was walking across the stage, as my name was called.
“Oleg Michael Poliner Lougheed.”
It was supposed to be a day to celebrate.
The day to be proud of.
The day to remember.
Not the day to forget.
I remember shaking Beverly Warren’s hand while holding the diploma in the other.
I remember the smile on her face.
I remember the fake smile on mine.
For years, I chose to keep this part of me invisible.
For years, I undervalued my #achievement.
For years, I didn’t choose to see myself as a proud Kent State University graduate.
It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I chose to explore how curiosity has helped me overcome invisibility of being an adoptee that this invisible part of my identity resurfaced.
My curiosity helped me understand that my narrative of Kent State University not being a prestigious school was not entirely my own.
My curiosity helped me see that the value of the diploma was not only in the things I learned in the classroom, but also the lifelong relationships I built outside of it.
My curiosity helped me develop empathy for how some of my friends might feel having dropped out of college.
It has been six years since I walked across the stage and accepted my diploma.
It is today that I have officially decided to call myself a proud Kent State University #graduate!
