Around this time of year, we celebrate milestones. Caps and gowns, graduation photos, carefully worded announcements that reflect years of hard work finally coming together—these moments matter. They represent persistence, commitment, and achievement. But as someone who works closely with students every day, I find myself thinking less about the students who arrive at graduation exactly as planned and more about those whose paths look different.
Graduation season often tells a very particular kind of story for each individual. It is one of forward motion, clear timelines, and steady progress from beginning to end. For some students, that trajectory works fine. But for many others, it does not—not because they lacked ability or motivation, but because life rarely unfolds on a perfectly structured schedule.
I see students navigating far more than coursework. They are managing careers, caregiving responsibilities, financial stress, and moments of burnout that don’t fit neatly into an academic calendar. Sometimes they pause their studies. Sometimes they fall behind. Sometimes they step away entirely—only to return later, ready to continue where they left off.
From the outside, these paths can look like detours. In reality, they are part of the journey.
We don’t always talk about those stories during graduation season. We celebrate completion while overlooking the uneven, complicated, and deeply human processes that lead there. The student who finishes in two years and the student who finishes in four, or five, or after a long break, have both accomplished something meaningful. Their timelines may differ, but their commitment is no less real.
In higher education, we tend to design systems around ideal progression. Courses build in sequence, deadlines assume consistency, and success is measured against a predictable timeline. But real people don’t live in ideal conditions. They live in real time, with interruptions, responsibilities, and challenges that require flexibility and resilience.
And yet, what stands out most to me is not when students fall behind, but rather when they come back.
Returning to a course after struggling, re-engaging after time away, or even sending that first email asking for help, are not small moments. They are acts of persistence. They reflect a kind of determination that isn’t always visible on a transcript but is central to a student’s success. Often, those moments don’t happen in isolation. They are made possible when students feel there is someone paying attention, reaching out, or simply making it clear that stepping back in is still an option.
That is the story we don’t tell often enough.
Some students will cross the stage this year, exactly as planned. Others are still working toward that moment. Some may take longer than they anticipated, adjusting their pace along the way. But they are still moving forward, even if that movement doesn’t always look like progress from the outside.
Graduation season reminds us to celebrate achievement. It may also be an opportunity to broaden how we define it.
Because not every student story is linear. That doesn’t make it any less worthy of recognition. And sometimes, what helps students keep moving forward is knowing they don’t have to do it alone.
Bio: Beth Chesir is the Director of Student Success and Enrollment Management at YU Global, where she leads student‑centered initiatives and provides holistic support across online graduate programs through proactive advising, engagement monitoring, and relationship‑based care from enrollment through graduation. She brings over a decade of experience in higher education administration, admissions, and student success.