Culture

As the almost 200 Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF) scholars graduate in the coming weeks, they do so ready for college and, more importantly, with the knowledge that they can succeed.

Michael
Reardon

''I teared up when I saw him walk in." These words are how a good friend described feeling as she watched her son walk into the room for his school's senior family lunch. It seemed like yesterday that she was bringing her baby home, and here she was, watching him get ready to graduate from school and, in a few short months, move away for college to embark more independently in life. There were some long days in those years, but as the expression goes, the days may be long, but the years are short. This is especially true with high school.
As Benita Kolovos recently noted in an article in The Guardian, high school is full of "little-but-huge-things" -- every experience, positive or negative, is amplified by limited perspective and adolescent development. Add in social media, and it is easy to lose oneself and believe that the high school experience is how the world order will be for the rest of your years. Fortunately, Kolovos notes, "Once you're out of high school, you will get to travel, you will see the world and you will realize just how small you are in it. But that's a good thing. Those little-but-huge things become little things."

Just like my friend, who was overcome by an unexpected rush of emotion, the students graduating will be experiencing extraordinary emotions. Some students will be excited about what lies ahead and starting fresh; others will be terrified that they will not live up to the expectations placed on them by well-meaning adults in their lives. With graduation, students face a sea of joys, fears and anxieties. Now more than ever, they need to see that each day is a new opportunity, a gift from God to become their best selves. This is sometimes hard to see when social media feeds, the structure of high school, and the perceived status placed on college choice or graduation accolades, are constant reminders of where the world tells you that you fit.
Many pundits have written that this generation of students faced more challenges than any other. Although each generation has faced their own challenges -- many more existential than today -- I do believe no generation has faced a more significant challenge of perspective. All of these "little-but-huge-things" of adolescence are looped in a never-ending cycle, resulting in anxiety, depression, and a sense of hopelessness for many and an overblown sense of importance for others, along with every feeling in between. There is a risk of believing their high school experience is their future, and graduation is the formal marking of this moment. We must meet them with an appreciation of their different experiences and provide a little perspective that where you finished in high school does not define you -- good or bad.
As the almost 200 Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF) scholars graduate in the coming weeks, they do so ready for college and, more importantly, with the knowledge that they can succeed. They know that because they are made in the image and likeness of God, they and those around them have value regardless of where they land in class rank or college selection. This life-changing Catholic education was only possible because of the generosity of CSF benefactors, who have the perspective to know that where a person starts is not where they need to end. Let us pray that the CSF scholars and all students continue to grow and don't peak in high school.

- Michael B. Reardon is executive director of the Catholic Schools Foundation, www.CSFBoston.org.

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