This is about my beautiful girlfriend. Who recently finished graduate studies at the University of Michigan. I understood at 32 finishing undergraduate studies would be seen as a long-past congratulating accomplishments for me. People who knew me did congratulate me of course but...
Katie, she had worked continuously. She was intensely focused on her schooling, while also participating in dance, and other extracurriculars. And she had just finished a graduate program, finally, years to get there and now finally graduated. The promise of Biostatistics as a sure-fire way to get a good job. She was applying like wildfire everywhere. Her peers getting jobs. And then COVID-19 hit. A hiring freeze went out everywhere. She was constantly asked how the job search was coming. Both of us were in the early depressive phases. But she continued to try. Fake job opportunities popped up and she tried to be optimistic at the initial offers but they never panned out.
On this day in June she had a preliminary job screening interview with a real company. And she was back in her pure old spirits again, gesticulating around with her arms, fully of pure joy and happiness at her American promise that an education could get her somewhere, and it was a level of happiness, and optimism I hadn't seen her show for months. Literally I was moved to tears, recognizing the jubilation she felt at finally getting back on track to the promise education had promised. That her years of hard work, which involved an international internship, was actually producing results.
I watched her from March to June, apply for work continuously, far more than I had. Searching out both local, and national, and international opportunities. Only to be met with silence. What a moment to witness as she shared news of a promising opportunity. There was no promise she would get it, but there was finally a voice at all that shouting she had been doing, that many of us have experienced on job hunts, but that was now amplified because of a global pandemic that had shut the most powerful nations down.
How overwhelmingly proud I am of her. Her spirit weighed down but never deterred, and to see it jump out fully as it did in that moment. Made me so proud, and humble. As she wiped tears from my face, I apologized for crying, and she said its okay, but I reminded her that I hadn't her seen her that optimistic in months. A world of heaviness upon her shoulders, a moment of levity in this long string of hardship. What a joy to witness that.
I'm proud of you Katie, you inspire me to always be better.
Love you forever.
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