The 2020-2021 school year is not all that we had hoped it to be. We couldn’t spend time with our friends or partake in all the activities that we should have been able to our last year of school. We didn’t have that college experience that we had all expected. We didn’t get to do all the things that we wanted to do and as we get closer and closer to graduation, the prospect of the real world becomes more and more terrifying.
It’s scary to think that in just a few months, we will have our degrees. We will be expected to find a job or go to grad school. I am here to remind the seniors, including myself, that it is okay to not have it all figured out. It is okay to not have a plan in place.
This year was not the one that any of us expected. We are being released into a world that is not ready for us. Jobs are virtual, offices are still closed, where was our preparation for this?
The fact of the matter is, there was no way we could have been prepared for this. There was no way of knowing that the world would look like this over a year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. There was no way we could have known or prepared to be graduating in these conditions.
So, instead of beating yourself up for not having a plan, breathe. Congratulate yourself for pushing through these difficult learning circumstances. Congratulate yourself for being this close to the finish line. Congratulate yourself for being strong enough to battle a pandemic and a college degree simultaneously.
We deserve a round of applause, despite the terrifying future ahead of us. Stop worrying about post-graduation and start reminding yourself of all that you have accomplished this last year. It was not easy, and many people couldn’t do it, but you did. We did. Even though the future is unsettling, it can only get better from here. Keep your head up and be proud of yourself. I know I am.
Grace Nealy 
Jason Karch 
Josh Steen