Graduation

I remember my High School Graduation pretty well.  I remember singing in the school choir.  I remember our student speaker who blew bubbles and hit a beach ball...and ushered in a new era of student speeches needing to be approved by the administration.  I remember my economics teacher getting up and addressing us as a class to tell us that the world that we were heading into was getting worse and our lives were likely to be difficult and miserable.  I remember dislocating my finger at the graduation party at the athletic club that night.  Mostly I remember thinking, "This is it?  What's the big deal?"  A successful completion of High School was never in doubt for me.  The ceremony did not seem like a big accomplishment...it was more of a required annoyance that I had to walk through before getting on with the more compelling parts of my life.  As you may be able to discern, I was not the most upbeat and cheerful of teenagers.


My feelings are remarkably different as I think about this upcoming graduation season and the young men and women from Joel's Place who are completing their High School education.  Having worked with youth for over a dozen years, I have seen lots and lots of kids who have not received their diploma.  Sometimes it was due to health issues or learning disabilities or home problems or bad choices or unexpected drama.  Every kid has a story and challenges that they have faced. The ones who have developmental assets are the ones who are able to overcome those challenges and take those diplomas.

A high school diploma is a funny thing.  On the one hand it is a silly little piece of paper that just shows that you were able to make it through 12 years of school.  On the other hand, this document also shows that you are no longer a child physically, mentally or emotionally.  You are still growing and maturing, but you have learned how to learn and learned how to control yourself enough to complete a long-term goal.  Finishing High School requires hard work and discipline and social skills and planning and improvisation and discovering your gifts and passions and communication skills.  These are all the elements that you will need to succeed in life, wherever that path leads.  There are small glimpses of who you will become and what you could do with your life that those with discerning eyes can see.  You are clueless, but the foundation and the raw materials for building are all there.

Tomorrow there is a graduation party for our Seniors here at Joel's Place.  (Remember Board Members: You are providing food for them!!!!!)   They will begin the transition from JP kid to adult and, hopefully, they will reflect at some point about how Joel's Place helped them through their adolescent years.  Hopefully they will think about the words of wisdom that they heard here...the ways that they were known and loved here...the fun that they had and the ways that they learned to look out for others here.  Hopefully they will be inspired to invest in others just as they have been invested in.  We are so happy for this group...so proud of who they have become and so excited about what will come next for them.  There will always be another generation of kids, but this graduating class will never be replaced.