As the members of the class of 2015 take their turns walking across the stage to receive their diplomas this weekend, hundreds of area residents will take their first steps into adulthood.

One of the most momentous events of their lives, the soon-to-be high school graduates are likely filled with emotion. Some will be excited to be done — ready to bolt out the door, diploma in hand. Some will be sad to leave the halls they know by heart and the comfort of the classrooms they’ve spent so much time in throughout the last four years. Plenty are feeling scared, unsure of what to expect as they start the next chapters of their lives.

Having graduated only a handful of years ago myself, I’m by no means an expert on being an adult (is anyone, really?), but I like to think I’ve learned enough to offer a few pieces of advice.

The biggest lesson I have learned since turning my own tassel at Brandywine is that if you set your mind to it, there truly is no challenge you cannot conquer.

I was certainly part of the population afraid to embark on a new journey, so going away to college was one of the biggest challenges I’d faced to date. My high school was a second home for me, and moving away from my hometown seemed downright terrifying. In fact, I smile now as I remember calling my mom the night of my very first college class, sobbing into the phone as I told her my professor expected me to read an entire novel in two days. Thankfully, my mom talked me out of moving home, and I finished the book in the time allotted — and continued to read a book a week throughout my entire time in college.

My point is that no matter how scary the feats you’re presented may seem, you can do it, and if you truly set your mind to it, you will accomplish any goal you set.

With that said, I also urge all of you graduates to take chances that scare you. Most of my favorite memories of the last five years have come from taking risks I was afraid to take.

Don’t be afraid to try a new club, take a class out of your comfort zone or apply for a job you may not feel ready for. Even if you end up not liking the club, struggling through the class or not getting the job, you’ll never know until you try it, and it could very well open a door for you that you never thought you’d see.

When it comes to overcoming challenges, I’ve learned that there is no greater value than the lessons you learn from other people. No matter what field you go into, it can never hurt to get in the habit of meeting your peers.

There is no denying that it is difficult to leave the friends you have had for years (and in some cases a lifetime), and it can be intimidating to approach professors, managers and other older adults in big classroom settings or your workplace, but these people have something to offer you, and you have something to offer them.

Keep in mind as you begin your next adventure that making new friends does not make others go away, and building relationships with those more knowledgeable than you does not make you inferior — it makes you smart! As the old cliché goes, each person you meet has some sort of purpose in your life.

Find those purposes, and use them to your benefit. When you meet new people — be it friends, classmates, coworkers, professors — take the time to learn their strengths, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. And when called upon for your advice or guidance, offer it.

Lastly, I urge you to eat up every last moment of the coming days — from graduation day, Project Graduation trips, classmates’ grad parties, your college orientations, basic trainings and first days at new jobs. These truly are moments you will look back on, because like those steps across the stage, you’re taking leaps into your future, and you should be so proud you did.

Congratulations to the class of 2015. Best of luck for what comes next.

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.