Congratulations to you! (A letter from me to you)

Hi Guys,

I just wanted to take a moment and congratulate all of you for finishing your Fall 2012 semester. There will never be another one again, and you should be so proud of what you've accomplished.

Exams are over!!! 

It's time to relax, appreciate the people around you, and sleep ;)

I hope you take a second right now and pat yourself on the back. Go ahead...no one's watching. Did you do it? Awesome. 

You deserve it. 

Enjoy this time off and relish in this feeling. Multiply it by 100, and that is how it will feel when you graduate. Keep going. And thank you so much for letting me be a small part of your journey this year. I love you guys.

Isa

The case for walking in graduation

I’ve asked a few students recently who are graduating from community college: “are you walking in graduation?”

Many of the answers are: “no.”

I completely understand this. When I graduated community college I too initially didn’t plan on walking. I kind of figured that since a Bachelor’s degree was my end goal, and students at 4-year colleges didn’t “walk” half-way through their Bachelor’s degree, why should I?

But I ended up walking because I found out I had won the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship a few weeks prior.

And walking in graduation – both for my 2-year and 4-year degree – felt great.

Because in the end, completing community college is a big deal that is worth celebrating. You are one of the few who’ve made it.

And you are worth celebrating.

Invite your family. Take pictures with your friends. Make memories and commit yourself to walking again for your Bachelor’s degree – and maybe even again for your Master’s and Ph.D’s.

Even though you may still have more education to pursue, weird cardboard square hats to don, and aisles to walk, each walk matters. Because each one represents your accomplishment, your completion, and your honoring of the college and the people who helped create your collegiate foundation.

And in the end, graduations symbolize both and end and a beginning. The new beginning is obvious, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that it’s also important to properly say goodbye – to reflect on the people and opportunities that brought you to that very moment.

If you’ve missed out already on applying for graduation and picking up your cap and gown this time around, it’s okay. But find some way to get together with your community college friends and/or family and celebrate this important milestone. It is a big deal. And you’ve earned it.

And for those of you who do walk – embrace the moment, engage fully, and take lots of pictures. Feel free to tag Community College Success in your graduation pictures and/or share them on our Facebook wall. I would love to see your beautiful face in one of those hats, and I know it will inspire others on the page. 

Congratulations to all of you who are graduating this semester. I hope you know the full gravity and beauty of what you have achieved.

Going Back to Graduation for Help

I’ve got a goal for you for this weekend. This month. This year. 

That goal is for you to live your life with the zest and zeal that you had on one of the biggest days of your life:

The day you graduated high school.  

Because whether that was one year, two years, seven years ago like myself, or even longer, you felt like the world was yours to conquer on that day. 

So what has changed?  It is true, we grow up, responsibilities pour on, and consequences for our actions evolve.  But, don’t let the events of a lifetime steal what you had that moment:

Belief in yourself, hope in future, and pride in what you can accomplish.

So here’s the deal.  Here are three things I want you to do to help stir up that feeling that you had:

1. Take a look back at a photograph of your graduation day.  Look at your smile, look at the smiles of those around you.  People are proud of your accomplishments. Don’t forget that!
2. Get in touch with someone who makes you feel like you can do anything in the world. Hang out with a friend who builds you up, call a relative that cheers you up, Facebook someone who always offers support. Everyone has a support system – sometimes we just forget who they are. 
3. Write a journal entry – I’m serious about this. Even if you don’t journal (guys usually do this less than girls).  I want you to write about the goals you had when you graduated from high school.  Then I want you to write about what has changed – don’t make excuses for yourself.  But, instead, think about whether or not you are happy with the change in plans. If you are, carry on with the energy you know you have inside. If you aren’t happy with the changes, let’s work on a plan to get you on the track you want to be.  Reach out to someone  - reach out to me – I’ll offer any advice I can for a professional or educational goal.

So let’s get to this.  Because, far too often, I think we forget the people we believe that we can be. 

Your goals are still attainable - the only variable is that things don’t always follow the schedule or direct path that we expect. 

And you are capable of anything. Sometimes our eighteen-year-old selves can teach us something.