Congratulations to the class of 2016!! I said my prayers all week long that the
weather would hold out so that both schools could have their ceremonies outside
as planned, and was very thankful that there was no rain. For WBHS graduates, what fun it will be to
tell your kids you graduated by the light of hundreds of cell phones? That was pretty cool!
Forty years ago, the Class of 1976 had to change locations
from the football field to the cafeteria.
I remember that being such a disappointment. We were only allowed two admission tickets
per student. No grandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins, boyfriends or girlfriends were allowed to attend. Not only that, it was the year of the
bicentennial celebration, and, while I should have been a proud, patriotic
student, I remember pouting a little bit that we had to wear white gowns, and
our tassels were red, white, and blue. I
had always loved the red and black color scheme of WBHS, and had long admired
the red and black tassels hanging from rear-view mirrors of the cars of my older
friends, and couldn’t wait to have my own car to display my red and black
tassel. But, it was not to be. I
still have that red, white, and blue tassel, tucked away for safekeeping,
but I never did hang it from the
rear-view mirror of my car.
So, class of 2016, what’s next? Some of you are headed to college. What a challenge that will be! Others may enter the work force right away. Perhaps a military career is ahead of you,
and I thank you in advance for your service!
Eighteen still seems an awful young age to decide what you want to do
with the rest of your life, so don’t sweat it if you haven’t yet decided. Sometimes going to college right after high
school is the right thing to do, while for others, it makes more sense to take
a break, and go at a later time. You may
feel pressured to pursue a career of your parents’ choosing, or feel the need
to follow in the family footsteps of chosen careers. I’d never be the one to tell you to go
against your parents’ wishes, especially if they are paying for your education,
but keep an open mind. Perhaps when you
do discover your life’s ambitions, they will be supportive, and it will be a
win-win for everyone.
Whatever you do, make it count. Be a productive member of society, whether
it’s working in a high-paying, prestigious career that requires you to wear a
suit, a laborer on the construction site, the sanitation department, or someone
who cleans bedpans at the convalescent home.
All these jobs are important. Don’t believe me? If a high-falutin’ Wall Street office closes
tomorrow, most of us will never feel the effects. Let the sanitation department close for two
weeks, and we will all feel it. Every
job is important. Do your best. Be careful not to look down on others who
choose a less glamorous career than yours.
Likewise, don’t be intimidated by those who wear fancy clothes and work
in a corner office when your job is shoveling poop at the horse farm. Just do something. In today’s world it is far too easy to live
off the system. In many cases, there is
more incentive to stay in the system than to break out and be productive.
No matter where you live, no matter if you buy your clothes
from high-end fashion boutiques or thrift stores, you are important. If your daddy drives a Mercedes, or if your
daddy drives a beat-up truck with slick tires – that doesn’t have to direct
your path in life. Of course, some will
have more advantages and opportunities than others. If you’re dad’s bank account affords you an
easy road to education, and friends in high places help you get a fancy job –
then that’s fabulous. Don’t waste the
opportunity. But be very careful not to
take it for granted. If your dad’s bank
account will hardy pay the bills at home, and you have fewer opportunities,
then that’s okay too. Sometimes the harder we have to work for things, the more
we appreciate them. If your home life is
unstable and you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, then determine
that you are going to be a force of change in your family, and you will make a
difference.
Certainly, life is easier for some than for others. But let me be clear on this: No one person, regardless of ethnicity, economic
status, or GPA is less valuable than another. All lives matter. Class of 2016, YOU MATTER. I love this saying: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
The tassels have been turned. Now: Go.
Change the world!!
