Congratulations on your commencement

Being from New York, I have yet to get used to May commencement ceremonies that accompany the early end of the school year. Where I’m from, another month remains before school concludes., However, the pictures posted online remind me that here in the Midwest, it’s that time.

Smiling graduates and teary-eyed parents pepper our Facebook news feeds. As I am not a parent, I may not be able to relate to the plethora of emotions that run rampant in households this time of year, but as a former teacher, I acknowledge the level of commitment it takes to graduate from high school and move ahead to the next level.

In some families, graduating is a foregone conclusion. Maybe everyone has graduated and gone on to bigger and better things. Then, there are those young adults who are the first to get a high school diploma or will be the first to go to college. Whichever the scenario, it takes focus to finish what you’ve started. The most intelligent students, for example, must still apply that intelligence, and those who struggle must seek help to grasp concepts others take for granted. It’s a conscious decision to succeed that leads to a walk across the stage donning cap and gown.

Life is a bit more complicated now than when I was in high school. Much has changed in a relatively short amount of time. Sure, we had distractions and discouragements, but it was still different. Social media was science fiction, text messaging was non-existent and video games were ... well, Pac-Man. Like I said, it was different.

Today, students are being pulled in many different directions. Parents, too, have limited time and energy to invest into making sure their children’s academics are at their peak. Some are working multiple jobs just to remain financially afloat, and others are busy going from game to game, as they have several children involved in several sports, and they’re spending their time occupying one bleacher or another.

That’s why I want to take the time to pay tribute to those who have made it to this point. Some see you walk the stage but do not see the obstacles you traversed to get there. Others see your family cheering as you take your diploma but never knew the tears they shed in the toughest of times.

The truth is we often do not know what people go through to get where they end up. We underestimate what it takes to reach their goal, or we undervalue the goal itself. But I take this moment to acknowledge you, graduates — you and the families that support you.

In a month, I will be in New York delivering the commencement address to the class of 2017 at the school district where I taught for more than 17 years. I had these students when they were in seventh grade, so I know firsthand the stories that some of them could tell. To be able to usher them into adulthood will be an absolute honor. So from the Midwest to the Northeast, I rejoice with every graduate. I don’t take lightly your success, and I declare, as I always do, that the best is yet to come.

Congratulations not just on the end of a season, but, even more importantly, the commencement of another one.

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Save the Date: From 5 to 7 p.m. July 14, I am having a book sale/signing at Barnes & Noble in Cape Girardeau. My two newest books are the inspirational “Push Your Way to Purpose: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You’re Meant to Be” and the hilarious “#AuntAlma Unleashed: Old, Bold, and Out of Control.” Please mark your calendars now. I can’t wait to meet you there!

Adrienne Ross is an author, editor, columnist, speaker, and former teacher and coach. She is also a Southeast Missourian editorial board member and owner of Adrienne Ross Communications. Contact her at aross@semissourian.com.