Graduation a time to reflect and build
“If you can dream it, you can become it, and if you can imagine it, you can achieve it.”
That was my Phillipsburg High School’s graduating class motto from many years ago, and it came during uncertain times. Today’s high school and college seniors are entering a new phase in their lives. It will be exciting and challenging.
At the time I went through high school graduation and later when I graduated from Kansas State University, graduations represented relief and a feeling of personal satisfaction from hitting a personal goal. Graduations give us an opportunity to relish what is important in life.
Memories shared
My high school graduation meant a lot to my grandparents. They grew up during the Great Depression. Like many of her contemporaries, one of my grandmothers had to drop out of high school and start working so she could take care of herself as her parents did not have the means to do so. An eighth-grade graduation (now called promotion) was like having a high school diploma. College was not possible for her.
My grandmother lived long enough to see her grandchildren not only get their high school diplomas, but also to enjoy the experience of college.
When I received my college degree, I remembered her telling me how proud she was of me and that opportunities that were never possible for her could be mine if I worked hard. It was a reminder that hard work and faith are what make anything possible.
Enjoy the moment
Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts and a litany of friends will be headed to ceremonies and parties throughout May. They will be a part of the time-honored tradition to celebrate and enjoy the achievements of the graduates. It is a time for families and friends to reminisce about their own experiences and share candid advice when they get a few minutes beyond hugs and shaking hands.
Today’s graduates will face many of the same challenges their parents and grandparents had many years ago after they received their diplomas. A controlled atmosphere of discipline and protocol will end, except for those who chose a military career. Lessons learned will turn from theory to application.
Future is always an unknown
Graduates will be called upon to improve goods and services, whether it is for private businesses or government entities. A few may make the big stage of life. We can always draw upon the experience of 1909 Abilene High School graduate Dwight E. Eisenhower who 35 years later was a five-star general who commanded the Allies to a D-Day invasion that eventually liberated Europe from Nazi Germany.
Ike never forgot his roots and knew that winning a war was going to require a premium sacrifice. In studying his personal history, he nearly quit the Army in the 1930s because he thought his skills were never going to be used. We can all be thankful that he had a support system and the moxie to stay.
Graduations are important today, but they are a launching point. Best wishes to all graduates. We’re counting on you to help us all.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
