Dear Class of 2022,
Your caps are launched, thrown, spun into the air with cheers of celebration (and relief). The ceremony is over. The speeches have been read. The room begins to empty. And the pictures begin to be snapped. Fields, buildings, statues, places to capture this moment. The culminating moment of achievement. The next chapter of your life begins!
As you smile, I frown. As you receive words of congratulations, I give you my words of apology.
I’m sorry we just didn’t get it done, yet.
More than 4 million seniors will graduate this spring from high school. Sixty percent of those graduates will go on to college. As many as 40% of those college students will transfer schools after their first year. One third of those that enrolled will never graduate college.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Resources and preparation for college planning and life after high school need to be better. It’s no wonder fewer 2022 seniors participated in any career counseling or college financial counseling than in previous years.
The free resources are not helpful, and are hard to find. The small boutique, one-on-one assistance is expensive–often outrageously so.
It’s time for change. It’s time for us to be better. It’s time for resources to be available for all.
Each student carries goals and aspirations, and is as unique as their individual fingerprints. It is our responsibility to better prepare these graduates so they can make more informed decisions and land at the right school for them. Then once there, they can unlock their full potential.
As parents and guardians, it is our responsibility to transition from daily manager (and unpaid assistant) to advisor and mentor. We need to provide students a roadmap on how to prepare for and navigate what’s next.
High school students have been trained for twelve years by routine. And now, upon graduation, dream of discovery, opportunity and experiences. But how do they get there? They don’t want to be told. They want to explore.
It’s time to equip our students for their next chapter. It’s time to provide them routes in which to embark upon their journey. It’s time to walk with them (beside them or behind them), and empower them to take the next step.
We needed to prepare our graduates to soar. We have failed you Class of ‘22, but we are going to fix it.
The roadmap to begin is being built. The assistance and guidance is coming. The place where all are welcome, all will have access, and all will have opportunity is happening, and soon. Until then, here’s to the class of 2022!
May we know them May we love them May we celebrate them May we support them May we hire them May we empower them to spread their wings and fly
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