I Took A Selfie On Stage At My Graduation

Yes, I’m one of those.

It wasn’t spontaneous; it was 100% planned. It was nerve-wracking, but it was so worth it. You only get one graduation — why not take a selfie on stage?

“Humaira Iqbal.”

As my name was called out, I walked across the stage with a big grin on my face. I only know this from watching back the video.

My family cheered. My worries about falling face-first in my sister’s heels seemed to have vanished.

I shook hands with the Dean (actually, I think he was filling in for the Dean) and asked, ‘can I take a selfie with you?’ I didn’t wait for an answer. He probably didn’t even hear me among the noise.

I already had the Snapchat app open — it really was all planned out. I took my selfie and the crowd went wild. I thanked the Dean (or his equivalent), then walked off stage with an even bigger smile on my face.

The task had been completed.

The palpitations I’d had when queuing up, waiting for my name to be called seemed to have been worth it. Two years later, I’d almost forgotten about those.

The actual selfie was blurry. But it wasn’t about the selfie. It was about the experience. I may never have had the opportunity to do this again. So I did it while I still could.

Thank you for reading! I’m donating my Medium earnings to charity this Ramadan. Why not come over and support?