Graduation is a time of endings, beginnings, gratitude, and hope. Nothing feels quite as good as seeing your name on the graduation program, wearing your toga, holding your crisp diploma, and taking a photo with your parents as they smile with pride. And nothing feels quite as bittersweet as seeing your friends and batch mates all dressed up, and walking the school halls together as high school seniors one last time.
In the weeks before my high school graduation, I remember thinking, “I can’t wait to graduate. I want it to be over, but I don’t want to leave.” I also remember that in the excitement of my graduation, I barely listened to any of the speakers. I guess back then I felt that my generation’s experience would always be somehow unique.
And so, high school graduates, I will not waste your precious social media time giving you advice you can google yourselves. Rather, allow me to tell you what I wish someone told me when I was in your place.
1. Listen to wisdom, but remember that you make the decisions.
Obviously, your high school experience is different from your parents’. You are the second batch of graduates from the K-12 program and that already sets you apart from the graduates before you. But remember, while experiences vary, some lessons are universal. Your family’s professions, leanings, and skillsets, influence you more than you know. If you’re still unsure what course to take, it’s always wise to look at your family background and to listen to your parents’ advice. Some professions run in the blood. But good parents listen to their kids as well.
Financial constraints and other factors considered, choosing your school and course should ultimately be your decision. Anyway, you are slowly entering the season of your life when you will have to make decisions for yourself. (Scary, right?)
2. Expect failure and see them for what they are: plot twists.
Failure can come in many forms no matter who you are or how good you are. In college, you will meet terror professors, freeloading group mates, and difficult exams and requirements. Failure could look like test scores, closed doors, not making the honor list, giving up dreams, or shifting, being delayed, or transferring.
When I was in college, I failed so many math exams that I wondered, “What if after all, the university made a mistake in passing me?” I decided that I wasn’t happy and that I belonged to a different college. I decided to shift from BS Economics to BA Journalism. Sure, I got delayed, but I was happier and finally excelled in my classes. Looking back, those failures were the plot twists I needed to get me on the right path of my story. The short-term sadness and heartbreak I felt at that time actually led me to where I am now, doing and studying what I loved.
Failures are plot twists in disguise. Expect them and listen to what they’re telling you.
3. You won’t learn everything in the classroom. Make friends! Be extra!
The university is a melting pot of all sorts of activities, opportunities, and people. Be hungry for them! You’ll learn important life and professional skills by doing extra-curricular activities, joining organizations, volunteering, and making friends.
Everything I learned about writing, planning events, emceeing, and marketing, I learned by being active in our church youth media ministry and by being part of a college org – the UP Journalism Club.
Usually, when you find a group that stands for what you believe in and does what you’re passionate about, you end up finding your people. And the friendships you make will see you through the rest of your life.
4. Education, in reality, is still a privilege.
Education is a right, but in reality, it is still a privilege. Let this motivate you to study hard and to study well. Don’t just do it for the grade. Don’t just do it to please your parents (but know that by working hard, you are honoring them). More than anything, do it because you’re there, and others could only dream of being in your place.
When you find opportunities to lead, take them – whether in your group, or your organization, or your college. And if you know you could still do better on that assignment, or paper, or report, take the extra mile.
Honor is more than a medal or your name on the dean’s list. Honor is an attitude. Make it a habit.
There is no way to be sure of what life would be like for you and your friends after high school. Your classmate who loves doodling in her notebook? She could end up being an acclaimed graphic artist. Your class president? He could be preparing for the law bar exam. Your class clown? She could be a radio DJ by day, and a viral meme-generator by night.
What’s exciting about graduation is that all of you will be coming from the same starting line and life is about to take you to different directions. So root for your friends, and remember your classmates’ faces, don’t forget their names, and enjoy the ride.
Micah M. Nazal is a freelance writer and digital content producer pursuing a masters degree in public administration at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance. She worked as a community researcher in PHIVOLCS and plans to continue in the field of disaster risk reduction management in the future. You will likely find her studying in the library or drinking her second cup of coffee.
