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Ten years ago, I waited anxiously outside the gymnasium with my classmates as we prepared to graduate from Dodgeville High School. Draped in a white graduation gown, a white cap gracing my head with a orange tassle and a silver cord around my neck, I dreamt of my future. Next stop was college - and I was the first in my immediate family to pursue secondary education. The pressure was on, especially since I was going into a field that some (many) questioned. But the future seemed bright, and I was a bright student.
The day had finally come. I grasped my high school diploma as the administrator shook my hand in front of a packed gymnasium at DHS. I had overcome many struggles, as many teenage girls tend to have in high school, and this diploma was of great significance. It still is.
Five years ago, I finally held in my hand my official college diploma. There were many times in my college career that I battled with my own demons - they encouraged me to drop out, that I didn't need a degree, etc. But I had stuck with it. And I had earned it.
This diploma was of even greater significance to me than my high school diploma. It signified dedication to myself and my career, and it encouraged me to follow my passion.
It seems each graduation I achieved and diploma I received gave me that extra push that I needed at that time. The power of an earned high school diploma gave me the push to explore, to figure out who and what I wanted to be. My college diploma gave me an extra push of hope, the push to find my niche and the push to put me on the road to success.
As many high school seniors prepare for their own graduation, I hope you embrace your first push - that push to go out into the world and explore who you want to be and what your passion will lead you to.
"Follow your passion. It will lead you to your purpose." -Oprah