Three years ago this month, I walked across the stage set up on the University of Nevada, Reno's quad and accepted my rolled up piece of paper, signifying that my life as a carefree, joyous student was now at its finale.
I'm not at all bitter about that. Entering the "real world" is a time to celebrate and apply all the lessons I learned at college.
Indeed, college was a learning experience, but it also delays the inevitable. What do you mean I can't sleep in until 10 a.m. anymore? What do you mean I actually have to start paying those student loans? What's an interest rate, again?
But a handy journalism degree from the Reynolds School landed me in a place that most people can only dream about: Fallon. If that isn't a pure oasis, I don't what is.
Because I am a recent grad, I have several friends who are, or were, still attending UNR. To many of them, the real world is so scary they're going to avoid it for yet another two or three years. They're forsaking the glory of that first paycheck, the daily grind, the rat race, for something far more enterprising: Grad school.
I stand in awe at these masters (pardon the pun) of cultural dissonance. They have succeeded in avoiding the economic engine that flings so many of us into life-sucking employment. Caps off to you, re-grads - you have avoided full-time work as a barista at Starbucks for at least another two years.
Please don't think that I'm being wantonly rude to the re-grads. I think they should get a little bit of grief from the working class. Their lofty ideals humble all of us who have too much debt, too many kids and not enough time to think about personal and professional education inside the ivory halls.
But the re-grads need us, too. Who else is going to finance their loans, repossess their cars, or write scalding commentary on their selfish behaviors?
Somebody needs to bring these idealists back to reality.
But there are exceptions to my generalizations.
I've known Marcel since she was a freshman in college. Now at 21, she has earned a coveted full scholarship and a place at California State University, Fresno. She graduated this month from UNR with a degree in social work.
Soon Marcel will move down to Fresno to join the rehabilitation counseling program. This field needs an advanced degree, and her goal is to earn her master's degree then work for the company that awarded her the scholarship. I think she's going to be a great rehab counselor. But there's a little bit of the re-grad in Marcel, too.
"I wanted two more years to decide what I actually want to do," she told me this week.
In a world of economic cause and effect, everybody is just trying to get a little more time.
Veterinarian Dr. Valoir Morris has joined Sierra Veterinary Hospital of Carson City to practice medicine and perform surgeries. Morris received her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Texas A & M University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002.
Morris worked at two animal medical centers in Reno a few years ago and returned to the area after working at a veterinary clinic in Sedona, Ariz., for a short time. Morris is one of five veterinarians practicing at Sierra Veterinary Hospital. The hospital has an additional 20 employees, including two licensed technicians, five veterinarian assistants, five kennel team personnel, two medical clerks and two hospital managers.
Gerene Sayre has joined Greater Nevada Credit Union as vice president of human resources. She has more than 25 years' experience in human resources.
Prior to joining Greater Nevada, Sayre was human resources director for America's Lemonade Stand, a national fund-raising company. She has also managed human resources for Novell and the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. Sayre has a bachelor's degree in business administration/personnel administration from California State University, Hayward. She has a professional certification of Senior Professional in Human Resources.
Dr. Steven Brown of Alpine Medical Associates has added the new McCue Energist Ultra Variable Pulsed Light system to his practice. He can offer his patients the most advanced skin treatment and hair-removal treatment available through a state-of-the-art technique called pulse light therapy.
The system helps patients who are seeking permanent hair removal, but also can eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, port wine stains, birthmarks, age spots, tattoos, scars, rosacea, leg and facial spider veins and benign lesions.
The system can also rejuvenate facial skin, shrink large pores, and remove fine wrinkles. It delivers a sequence of very rapid short pulses of light energy that can be varied in time, duration and delay time between each pulse, which minimizes discomfort by allowing the skin to cool between pulses.
Alpine Medical Associates is relocating Wednesday from Minden Medical Center to the new Minden Village, 1671 Lucerne Street, suite A. For information, call Brown's office at 775-782-9118.
n Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.