Tis the graduation season
Many high school and college graduations are in the book as May during the season for pomp and circumstance.
Eighth-grade promotions also are a highlight of middle school activities. At one time that promotion was the equivalent of a high school diploma for those before World War II. Today eighth-grade promotion signifies one is prepared for the rigors of high school.
May always has a way of making me reflect on eighth-grade promotion activities in Hoxie, Kansas; high school graduation in Phillipsburg, Kansas; and college graduation from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.
As a young college graduate I would have dreams (dare I say nightmares) that I missed a class and did not receive a diploma, though once I woke up I knew it was merely a trick of the mind. I once thought I was the only one who had those dreams only to find out it was a common story, almost a rite of passage, for my friends.
Today’s graduate, whether high school or college, has a brighter future than I did at that age. Those thoughts are not the result of me having a poor education, training or experience on my end rather based on observation learned in the laboratory of life.
My degree was in agricultural journalism with a double major in agricultural economics. When I graduated I wanted to start my career in journalism with much encouragement from a college mentor and my parents who always have said happiness cannot be bought.
My college mentor knew of successful men and women who plied the newspaper trade for 10 years and could easily transition into public relations or another career if they chose. With my degree in hand, college debt and a car loan I began my career in a small community newspaper and that experience in journalism has stayed with me.
I recognize the profound impact debt is having on post-high school students. Managing that debt is much tougher than in my day. Careers in agriculture are still aplenty and there are jobs available in newspapers and media.
A family friend once said life is filled with a series of choices. Once you head down a path always know what you are getting yourself into.
Today’s adventures and ventures have opened up with technology and offers graduates a world once unavailable. Vocational trade careers offer greater pay than a generation ago.
Still, the value system as espoused by graduation speakers, clergy, parents and those in authority, do matter.
A value system has to be based on faith in God, honesty, doing what is right and not what is popular, spreading the credit and accepting the blame alone, helping those less fortunate, remembering that the elevator of life goes up and down, walking with integrity, staying committed to those you love, and sharing your treasure, talents and experiences with others.
Regardless if one becomes a scientist or stay-at-home mother, those values make everyone his or her equal. Those sentiments are not shared enough and are as valuable as they were made during the first known public school graduation.
