Bella will graduate from college in December 2022. She will receive a degree in Public Policy & Administration. We, her parents, are doubly grateful as her college experience got off to a faltering start, mostly because she didn't want to go. She wanted to volunteer at a woman's shelter in Nepal straight out of high school. Marty and I deemed attending college a non-negotiable, at least for the first year. Bella being Bella worked through this disappointment and, in time, chose to engage in the experience. Once she made that decision, well, as in times past, it wasn't a fair fight. For the dearmitt dot com record, I will commemorate a few of her accomplishments while in college.

• Received scholarships to cover ALL of her college expenses.
• Was awarded the Newman Civic Fellowship her sophomore year–this is kind of a big deal.
• Was one of a few students asked to be part of a radio campaign for the university.
• Was one of the even fewer students asked to be part of a television campaign for the university (shown above).
• Became the president of the school's service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega (APO).
• While in leadership positions at APO:
  • More than doubled their membership.
  • Served as the Conference Coordinator for their sectional conference.
  • Was awarded the Heart of Service Award.
  • Was awarded a Distinguished Service Key (only the 7th one issued at her school).
• Won the Student Advocate of the Year award as a junior.
• Won the Student Leader of the Year award as a senior–another pretty big deal.
• Presented at the school's annual donor meeting–and outperformed many of the dean & faculty speakers in her father's opinion.
• Amassed a wildly diverse group of friends. Bella gatherings look like a 90's Benetton ad.
• Even with all of the above accomplishments (and working as a waitress), she is graduating a semester early.

As her college career comes to a close, she is throwing herself a graduation party. When she first brought this up, Marty and I assumed she meant one of her friend gatherings, which she has a few weekly. Then one night at dinner, she asked if Marty and I could help her prepare some food for her party. We said sure and then thought to ask for how many. She said, probably around a hundred. A bit struck, we asked her where she was having this party. She told us about a nearby event venue and then remembered that she had to take care of the deposit. Marty joked that she was going to go there first and steal her date. To this, Bella casually and confidently said, "if you are willing to put the thousand dollars down, I guess you could do that, but I'm thinking you won't." Sometimes I wonder who, in this parent-child relationship, knows the other better. Observations like that tell me Bella might be besting Marty and me.

Since that conversation with Bella, people have commented to both Marty and me about being excited to go to Bella's party. This has happened a surprising number of times, and I don't think we have ever NOT been surprised by who has said it. It seems Bella has invited everyone from the janitor at her former high school to the chancellor of her university. To our surprised looks, one person even said their invitation, which Marty and I had not seen, said we, her parents, would be making remarks at 6:15--so be on time. When we asked Bella about the size of the event, she said that it was more than anything, just a chance for all of the people who have helped her to meet one another. Then as the newly minted Public Policy professional, she adds that if a bit of networking that can help the world happens too, that's all the better.

There was a time in the past when Bella would say she was doing something that Marty and I would pat her on the head and say, yeah, that will be a lovely thing, Bella. We assumed for sixteen obvious reasons that these things would never happen. We don't make those assumptions so much anymore. These days it is less of a question of if it will happen but rather do we have to prepare food for more or less than a hundred people. And after finding that out, we now know to ask if we will be called on to make 'remarks', and if so to find out how long they should be.