The class of 2020, you were born into a world where the skies were grey with the fear of hatred. The world had witnessed the twin towers fall and the Earth was shaken. Today, you are graduating amidst a global pandemic. You are seeing the era of Dr. MLK come alive and everything that seemed history is a reality. The adage history repeats itself came true. Your life has been bookended by national tragedies of modern history.
You are no stranger to adversity and this is you biggest strength.
You are missing the expected, but you are gaining the resilience – Celebrate your strength. No textbook can teach you how to live life, only Life can teach you that. 2020 is and will continue to be your learning moment. Embrace it and get the most out of it. Hold Life’s hand and let it walk you through this year. Life never was and never will be easy. This is one of the many life exams you will face and by navigating through it successfully, you are telling the world that you can handle this adult life.
The tenacity and resilience of your resolve comes through when I see you Zoom through high school unlike any other class I know. Through the myriad of changes, you opened new doors and charted new paths. We as parents watch you navigate this new world of online learning and social distancing and adapt to the new normal.
Class of 2020, maybe you already know this, but the generations before you made a zillion mistakes and those mistakes culminated to the forced pause in our lives today. We grown ups expect 15,16,17 year olds to solve global problems that were essentially created by us. You are 18, there’s not much you could have done to create the chaos we have today and yet you get blamed for the generation without emotions. It’s not true.
You are our hope. You are my hope.
Don’t follow the dreams of those who came before you. Live your own dream. It doesn’t matter how big or small your dream is, if it makes you happy, then it is big enough. It is true, some of you will go on to make life changing inventions, some will change policies, some might invent a new medicine, some will save lives, and some of you might just decide to reinvent the ice-cream truck; no matter how silly or how important your vision is, please hold on to it. Use your college education to bring that vision come alive and live your dream. The one thing you need to do for yourself is to Live your OWN dream.
Grades matter but what matters most is who you are and how you treat other people. Your success in the grown up world is going to be defined by by what the world thinks of you. So as you move forward, work your hardest with honesty and humility. The distractions will always be there, stay away from the negative, learn to zone out the noise. The next few years should be about building yourself and your dream. You have the golden opportunity to do this without the interference of your parents 🙂 make the best of it. BUILD YOURSELF!
Find that village, the village that accepts you for who you are. The village that is willing to give as much as you are and the village that brings out the best in you.
Dear Class of 2020, this year may look like the year of losses, but it is also the year of changes. It is the year when life mandates mindful living and not just a mind full. I am not trying to be the saint here, and I know that there are many who are suffering. I understand that some of us have had it harder than others and I am beyond grateful for the narrow misses I have had, but I also know that the only way to move forward is by holding on to the one tiny blessing (there always is a blessing) and gathering strength from it for the next step.
Don’t despair the moments you have missed, instead marvel at your tenacity, your resilience, your adaptability and your grace. 2020 is not the year to be missed or ignored. You don’t judge a book by it’s cover, so don’t judge the year 2020 by its face. This is the year when we boldly accepted our failures and came together in harmony so we could all breathe.
Your graduation is not in an ill-fated year, but rather you graduate in the most important year of this era. 2020 is the year of new perspectives. The world paused so we could have the blessing of your being home with us and spend those extra hours doing nothing with you. The World Paused, so we could celebrate your graduation slowly and breathe in every moment.
BE PROUD, you graduate in this iconic year of change. The history books will pen you down as a generation of determination, resilience and change makers.
Now Go in the Direction of Your Dreams and Live that Dream!
