Baskadia

Title: After the Diploma

I had waited years for this day—the day I would finally graduate. The robes, the ceremony, the applause—it felt like the world was finally opening its doors to me. But the moment I stepped out of school, reality hit me like a cold storm. No work. No opportunities. Just the harsh truth staring me in the face: I was free, yet trapped.

I sent countless applications, knocked on doors, spoke to strangers, all hoping someone would give me a chance. But I was met with silence, rejection, and the invisible walls of inequality. I saw friends with the same degrees getting hired, while I was overlooked again and again. It wasn’t just about skills—it was about color, connections, and the world’s bias against people like me.

I remember reading about the Black Lives Matter movement, feeling a strange connection. The fight wasn’t just on the streets; it was in offices, in classrooms, in hiring decisions. My life mattered, my efforts mattered, but the system seemed determined to remind me otherwise.

Some nights, I cried. Some nights, I planned my escape—dreamed of leaving, of starting over in a place that valued me. But in the mornings, I woke up and kept going. I took small jobs, helped my community, learned new skills, and refused to disappear into the shadows.

One day, a small company noticed my persistence. They gave me a chance. I worked harder than ever, proving that my degree was more than paper, that my life and potential mattered. Slowly, the doors opened—one, then another, then another. And I realized: the world may be unfair, but refusing to give up is a revolution of its own.

Even after school, even without easy work, even against the odds—I was here. I mattered. And I would not be ignored.