‘Tis the season of fancy words and inspirational messages and gentle encouragement. Yes, it is graduation season, when we take time to congratulate all who have achieved a goal and when we remind them that they are well-prepared for the next step in their personal journeys.
Indeed, there are valid reasons for making a big deal out of commencement ceremonies. Be it the completion of high school or college or any other sort of educational endeavor, achievement is deserving of recognition — and graduation provides a demarcation between the past and what we trust will be a bright future.
It also is a time for reflection and deep thoughts. For example, we remind this year’s graduates about two of life’s most important lessons: Never stop learning, and never believe that you have all the answers. As President George W. Bush quipped during a commencement address at Southern Methodist University in 2015: “To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you, too, can be president of the United States.”
That kind of self-deprecation is a Bush hallmark, but it brings up an important point: Graduation is merely a step toward the rest of your life, not an ending point. What you do with the rest of it is up to you.
As high school English teacher David McCullough Jr. told graduates in Massachusetts in 2012: “Even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion people that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you.” And as author J.K. Rowling once told a graduating class: “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.”
There are many, many more words that have been conferred upon graduates along with their degrees and diplomas over the years. And the most profound are those that remind that the pomp and circumstance mark a beginning rather than an end. The adventure and exploration that led to this point should not define your lives; there is a long way to go.
We hope that resonates with the roughly 6,000 Clark County high school graduates who will be going through commencement exercises in the coming days. And with the more than 1,000 students who graduated from Washington State University Vancouver last month and with those who will graduate from Clark College in the coming weeks. And heck, these days, even eighth-graders and preschoolers are afforded some sort of ceremony to mark the passage to the next stage of their lives.
While the focus inevitably is on the students, we also offer congratulations to the parents who have shepherded their students through good times and bad, playing psychologist, chauffeur, chef and countless other roles along the way. And we offer congratulations to the teachers and coaches and staff members who have provided guidance and inspiration. Graduation ceremonies truly are a celebration for all who have played a role in the achievement.
Those contributions have a bigger impact than the words offered at commencement. While this season is a time for gentle encouragement, the benefits of a strong support system will continue to be felt as this year’s graduates continue to pursue their goals.
And yet, on the Editorial Page, we are limited to words. And so we leave you with a graduation reminder from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos: “In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story.”
