Then there was me. Gosh darn it was depressing. All they could come up with is "He's a trouper" and "He's graduating," pretty much. I felt like a second class citizen despite getting the maximum degree possible. This wouldn't bother me if there were other people that got the same comments I did, but after 5 minutes of rave reviews, the comments they gave me point to the gulf they see between me and them.
I come across as cocky and confident (I've learned how to fake it after 10yrs as a teacher), but I've always felt a bit of an inferiority complex when I talked to others on the program. The result is I've been sure I wouldn't get to graduation. I know that now I'm here, I shouldn't be complaining but I'd still have liked something more than a "Didn't he do well."
I'm tempted not to go to graduation now if I'm honest.