Graduation part 1

Last Friday we started the Time of Many Graduations, aka the 1 week period in which Jesse had two graduation ceremonies for his Master's and Law Degrees, respectively. For those that don't know, Jesse has been working on two degrees over the last three years. A Master's degree usually takes 4 semesters and the law degree takes 6, but by double counting some classes and having lots of jam-packed semesters, he packed it all into 7. 

First graduation up: The Master's! 

There were so many graduates that they didn't call out their names, just had them process across the stage (I massively underestimated how many people would be graduating!).

Niko and Miri were about as patient as they could be--Miri spent most of the time asleep (it was during nap time) and Niko was mostly appeased by snacks and miscellaneous entertainment. 

We met Jesse outside afterwards for a nice little reception, and I got teary-eyed thinking about all of the hard work he's put in for this degree over the last 3 years. The Master's degree was significantly less rigorous than the JD (and required much less extracurricular activity) but it still required stretching and growing on Jesse's part. 

I am especially proud of him for pursuing a Master's in Russian studies even though, at the time, we weren't sure how that would get used career-wise. We still don't have any certain plans, but we've got some big dreams that will make it a big part. When that time comes, we'll both be glad he put in this time and effort.

Happy family selfie!