B.a. Pass: -2012-

It says

But here is what I have learned, now a decade removed from that May afternoon in the cap and gown: b.a. pass -2012-

— A recovering over-generalizer, c. 2012 It says But here is what I have

Honours students go deep. They become experts in one tiny slice of history or literature. That is valuable. That is valuable

And in 2012, the world made sure you felt it. Let’s set the stage. The world was supposed to end in December (thanks, Mayan calendar). Facebook was still blue and relatively innocent. The iPhone 5 had just dropped. We were two years past the recession but still feeling the hangover. Jobs were scarce, and rent was due.

Why? Because society told me that the Honours kids were the ones who changed the world. The Pass kids? We were the backups. The general admission. The substitute teachers of the professional world.

That piece of paper isn't proof of a narrow expertise. It’s proof that you showed up, that you endured four years of general requirements, that you finished what you started even when nobody was cheering for the “general” track.