Ten years ago this month, I walked the same path that 54 young adults walked on Sunday, crossing the stage in the Brandywine High School gymnasium to receive my high school diploma.

Although a decade has passed since my own graduation, I remember well the blur that was the summer between high school and “the rest of my life.” Those few months were spent shopping for dorm furniture, touring my college campus, learning to navigate course scheduling and combing through options for academic majors. Like many, once I crossed the stage at my high school graduation, high school was in the rear view mirror and my sights were set on the road ahead.

Ten years later, I look back at the last days of high school and the months following, and I wonder what life may have been like had I focused more on the “now” than the “next.” Would I have secured more lasting friendships? Would I have appreciated more those who had helped me along the way? Would I have gained more confidence in myself had I given myself credit for the feat I had just accomplished?

If their experience is anything like mine, for the next several days, graduates of the Class of 2019 will hear loads of advice: plenty of clichés and quotes said by famous people written in congratulatory cards and repeated in valedictory speeches. Older friends and relatives will share words of wisdom, memories and lessons they have learned in the days since turning their own tassels.

These young adults will no doubt be inundated by these well-meaning messages, most of it focused on the future. In addition to this good advice, I would like to remind these new graduates to enjoy the present and celebrate the past that got you here. While many adults will tell you the most difficult is yet to come, we know that you have overcome obstacles already in life that have shaped you into the person you are today.

In addition to the hard work you put into yourselves academically in the last 13 years, you deserve credit for the work you have done to grow personally. You have learned to make friends, work with others, get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Many of you have balanced your high school studies with college classes, part-time jobs, volunteer efforts, clubs and/or athletics.

You may have learned to love, to make friends, to care for others and to care for yourself.

The choices you have made thus far have begun shaping you into the person you will be for the rest of your days, and that is a feat itself.

It may be true that the best is yet to come, but before shifting your sights to the next opportunity, I encourage you to revel in the success that is happening right now. As you plan your next adventure, don’t forget to look back at the people who have brought you to the point you are at today, but also remember to give yourself credit for making it this far.

Mapping your next chapter should certainly be a priority, but once you have a game plan, treat yourself to some lazy days on the beach. Have a bonfire with your childhood friends. Enjoy dinner at the table with your family as often as you can, and take plenty of photos to document these last days of your childhood.

Congratulations to the Class of 2019. We have so enjoyed documenting your journey.

Ambrosia Neldon is the general manager at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7700 or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com