What does your Baylor diploma mean to you?

In one respect, a diploma is just a sheet of paper. But in a deeper way, that little paper carries a lot of weight.

2007 Baylor graduate Amanda Bray published the short note below earlier this week on Instagram as she proudly hung her diploma for the first time. It sums up what so many of us feel about graduating from Baylor and earning that little piece of paper:

“When you’re 22 and flat broke, spending $120 on a frame for a diploma isn’t really feasible.

“Nine years ago I graduated from ‪‎Baylor‬ with a degree in journalism, and this piece of paper has traveled with me from apartments to houses, from Texas to Colorado and back. It represents four hard years filled with tears, unexpected friendship, encouraging professors and challenging academics. It reminds me of the courage it required to not only attend college, but to persevere even when I thought it wasn’t possible for me to learn another ounce. It reminds me of the honor I’ve brought to my family, being the first person in our family to graduate from a university.

“Though I could’ve afforded a frame a few years ago, somehow it remained an elusive purchase. That is, until tonight. When I turned the frame over to see my name and my alma mater’s seal, I had a rush of emotions. ‘That’s me,’ I thought.

“No matter where you went to college, I hope you frame your diploma and display it proudly. You deserve a reminder every day that it wasn’t just anybody who studied late into the night, or ate ramen for every meal, or wrote incessantly on the back of 3×5 cards. It was you. And you did a great job.”

What does your Baylor diploma mean to you? Click here to share your thoughts with us, and we may share some favorites at a later date.

Sic ’em, Amanda and all Baylor graduates!