Rewind to 2013
This week, hundreds of high school seniors will be graduating from Gordon County Schools, Calhoun City Schools and Georgia Cumberland Academy. Each of them will be moving on from the safe boundaries of high school to a new path, whether that be furthering their education, going straight into the work force, taking a gap year or doing something completely different.
When I was about to graduate from high school, I remember writing an essay about some of the people who had helped me get to where I was. I talked about three people who had shaped my education. The other day I was on my computer and actually found that document. As some of my recent columns have reflected, I’ve been thinking a lot about when I was a graduating high-school senior. I thought it might be fitting to quote from that essay I wrote in the spring of 2013 for this column:
“On the first day of third grade, my teacher Mrs. Cannon told my class if we set goals and worked hard we could get the “keys to the castle.” She said the “castle” was our education and if we worked hard in order to achieve it, we could open any kinds of doors for ourselves. Those words always rang in my head: “the keys to the castle.”
I hope you’ve had a Mrs. Cannon in your life.
“Earlier this year, around December, when I hadn’t yet decided on a college, a family friend, Aly Slade introduced me to her alma mater. I scheduled a visit, and she actually met me there and talked with me for a good hour about Berry College and her experience as a student there. In February, when I still hadn’t made a decision and was waiting to hear back about financial aid, Aly sent me an encouraging email saying wherever I chose to go would be a good decision. It gave me confidence to actually make my decision a month later to attend Berry, and her words still encourage me in the midst of making decisions.
I hope you’ve had an Aly Slade in your life.
“Dr. John Roush is a leader, a college president, and a local celebrity it seems. Dr. Roush has never hesitated to meet with me when I need advice, he has never looked down on me because of my age and he has even written the occasional reference letter for me. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know him fairly well
over the past few years, and an encouraging phrase I’ve often heard him say is ‘Do your best, be your best, no regrets.’ This statement can be applied to students, graduates or even parents of students, but it can be more universally applied to anyone.
I hope you’ve had a Dr. Roush in your life.
“F. Scott Fitzgerald, writer of ‘The Great Gatsby’ once said, ‘Our lives are defined by opportunities.’
“Right now, I have an opportunity, whether that is the opportunity to make plans for my future or to just appreciate life and its small victories. I have the option to make goals, to work hard and to get the keys to the castle. I have the chance to encourage, love and be kind to those I encounter. I have the choice to do my best, be my best and to live with no regrets. These are all small choices with big impacts. These opportunities offer me the chance to be a leader, to live a life I’m proud of and to make a difference.”
Six years ago, I was getting ready to walk across that stage, accept my diploma and walk into my future.
With graduation season here, I am reminded of who I was as at eighteen – young, timid, bright, afraid. Now, looking at myself, years later, I realize I am still those things, but also bold, courageous, compassionate, loyal. I didn’t know what my life would look like then, and I still don’t know now, but people like Mrs. Cannon, Aly Slade and Dr. John Roush (and countless others), have played more of a role in my personal growth than I ever imagined.
A word to graduating seniors – look at who you are, and be proud. Remember who has helped you and thank them. Don’t be so eager to get out of town that you forget who has held you up and who will continue to do so. Be grateful, be bold and say yes to opportunities that can bring growth.
A word to high school teachers – thank you. Thank you for your time explaining to me the importance of calculus, foreign language and grammar, but also thank you for demonstrating the true value of education. Thank you for teaching me in the classroom, and investing in me, as both a person and student. Your job changes lives.