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Photo by Chichi Onyekanne on Unsplash

Graduation! It's a moment of a major transition in your life. For some, it’s the first time without a predefined path in front of you. Where do you get to go from here? And where will you go from here? A question that you will you ask yourself many times throughout your life as you start the writings of the next chapter and more that will follow. I hope that you will never stop asking those questions and imagining the answers, while discovering what they are along the way.     

When I first read the alumni email requesting solidarity and support of our new graduates, I asked myself what can I write to you as you’re entering into the next phase of your lives? I then wondered what must be going through your minds as you go in for that leap in this current condition we’re living in: the uncertainty, and long term impacts of pandemic that are still unknown. I kept on imagining your excitement at the beginning of the semester, as I had experienced mine - joy of knowing you’re close to finalizing your time in school; the nervousness of what is after, and eagerness to explore the possibilities. But only a short few months later, you’re staring at a world that is vastly different than the one you were looking at.  

That brings me back to the question of what can I say to you in these interesting times? Unfortunately, I don’t have a motivational speech, as we’re all motivated by different things. Nor can I truly understand where you are with your thoughts about the immediate future; therefore, I think you’re likely more interested in clarity that an inspirational message. But whatever your motivations are, the paths you’re readying to take in your careers, or other post-college plans, I hope for a few things in your personal and professional journeys. These are my hopes for you:    

I hope you will look at where you are today and tell yourself you were dealt a bad hand, but know you are just entering the game with many more opportunities to play. I hope you will remember this hand during the next big adversity, because this will certainly not be the last one you face in your journey. What you do and how you approach things today can be a defining moment of your relationship with conflict, challenges and perspective tomorrow.    

I hope you will seek and find optimal enjoyment in who you are and what you do – two very different things – as they will pay dividend when you’re faced with that inevitable adversity in your personal and professional life.   

I hope you will be patient with the process going into your new career. Do not be afraid of change, as it's famously quoted it is the only constant in the world. Life will take you on many detours, and I hope you will accept and find enjoyment in them. This is all part of the process.  

I hope that you will stay curious about the world and life. Question things! Question conventional wisdom and norms, not because you think you know more or believe you can do it better than the people before you. But to exercise your intellectual curiosity and contribute with fresh perspective that will build and improve on what came before you. Your hungry mind is growing at a faster pace with new information and greater exposure to the world, so continue getting lost in the world only to discover more of yourself.  

I hope for you to develop wisdom. The wisdom that comes with time and experience - all experiences: your successes, the failures, and sometimes the simple ups and downs of your everyday life. I hope you embrace failures as much as success, because it is said that failure can be one of greatest teachers.   

I hope you will be ok with making mistakes. And be able to tell yourself that you will not make them again, but turnaround and make them again tomorrow.    

I hope you will understand and appreciate the importance of reflection. Reflection about the good experiences, bad experiences, and all that makes you who you are. Always connect the dots backwards as you move forward, as you will never know where your inspiration and moment of brilliance may come from. The seed of something that may blossom might’ve been planted in an unrelated time or situation. 

I hope you will see the beauty in desire and longing... achieve your goals, but continue to long for more, while striving to never be complete. 

I hope you will not regret. I have found over the years that regret is a missed opportunity and not something that I had done that did not go my way. That is just a bad decision, an experience, which you will get over it. Regret is the road that will keep on haunting you for not taking it. I hope you will not be afraid to go down that road, as you never know where it may lead you to.     

I hope you take hold of your future. It is yours. Shape it with your principles, idealism and involvement. But remember, idealism shouldn’t be about what is ideal for you today. It should be about what was ideal for where you were at a moment in time. So, when you think of the future generation, I hope you consider them from the point of where you are today with the basic foundation, opportunities you had and challenges you face. And I hope you will elevate the starting point for them with what you can change in your lifetime.     

I hope you will thrive to do something great instead of being someone great. I believe true success is the impact you leave when you leave.  And lastly, I hope that you will keep on hoping, in good times, the challenging times, and the exceptional times.    

Congratulations to all of you! And wherever your path may lead you to, I hope you will have fun along the journey.     

-Troy