Winning a Gold Sunshine.

It all started with a call from my professor on Saturday afternoon at 12:13, who asked me to visit the university for a ceremony. At first, I was confused about why she would ask me to visit the university, as I had received a letter with my name on it from the college.

She said, “There’s a ceremony you have to attend because you are a merit student.” At first, I thought it was just a college felicitation program, which happened every year, where the merit students were awarded degrees in front of various educational leaders.

There was a brief moment when I asked my friend if she had received a call from our professor about attending the ceremony, as she was a merit student too.

But to my surprise, she said, “No, I didn’t get any call. Maybe I’ll get one later?”

It wasn't until I realized that our professor had sent me a letter with my name inscribed on it, and adjacent to it, there was another inscription which read: स्वर्ण पदक (Gold Medal).

It came as a shock to me that I had won a Gold Medal as a university merit student. Not everybody received it, but I did.

The years of hard work, completing my assignments, being an obedient child since school, felt like a huge accomplishment. Yes, I had studied day and night despite the chaos life threw at me in the last month of my graduation, which made me believe I would just pass my exams.

People surely did all they could to bring me down. Yet, here I am with a gold medal hanging around my neck.

Finally, the convocation day arrived: 24th of February. I didn’t feel any pressure or sweat forming on my hands until I reached the university, where a huge ground was converted into a ceremonial place.

One side of the place was for students, and the other side was for the guardians. I stood there, amazed, looking at such a large number of people.

Was this really the place where I would be awarded the Gold medal? In front of these thousands of people?

I just couldn’t believe it.

I went to find my chair, and that's when I realized each chair had a student's name. You wouldn’t believe me if I said I got excited looking at my name pasted on a beautifully decorated white chair.

I really wanted to take a picture, but I was too shy to do that. (OMG, sighs dramatically)

Out of lakhs of students, we hundred students were awarded medals. I felt unbelievable.

When my name was announced, my parents couldn’t help but smile and clap loudly, looking at my face on the big screen with the gold medal. It was the moment I realized I had made them proud.

Not only that, but afterwards, they started taking pictures and videos of us as if I were a celebrity. (I’m not. Hehe, though.)

But this wasn’t the end.

We went for dinner that same day at a restaurant where they displayed my convocation picture on a big screen, with the degree in my hand and a congratulatory message at the end.

I couldn’t help but look at them, smiling proudly at me, wishing that this moment would be forever tattooed in my brain.