ALBRIGHT ELCDC
As we prepare to hold our Commencement ceremony this Sunday, we wanted to share these wonderful words from Tom Brokaw:
You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.
We wish all of our graduates only the best, and we’re excited to see how YOU chance the world!
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller
Today is Reading Day on our campus- an opportunity for students to focus solely on preparing for finals. The library will be packed, the dorms will be quiet, and the lines for coffee will be long. We want to wish our students the best as they take on their final exams, papers, and presentations! You’re going to do amazing, just study hard and believe in yourself!
For some students (ahem, seniors!) this will be their last Reading Day. We will miss this class; they have been great to work with and have big plans and wonderful lives ahead of them! CONGRATULATIONS to our Seniors as they get ready to turn those tassles!
I like this quote by Helen Keller because it’s quietly encouraging, and it fits everyone whether this is their first Reading Day or their last. Stay positive, students. Believe in yourself and your dreams!
The Job Search Started in… Kindergarten?
Everyone has seen those posters with little kids on it and it reads “Everything I ever needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten.” Meant to be affirming and lighthearted, they do make you take a step back and get some perspective. Although you may not realize it, many of those things you learned in kindergarten also apply to the job search- whether you’re looking for a summer job, an entry level position, or vying for a CEO position. Careerealism does a wonderful job giving details about what you’ve learned and why they’re essential to keep in mind. What other things did you learn in kindergarten that are important to the job search today?
Graduated, but Still Connected
We’re at a pivotal moment on our campus. Our winter graduates just walked across the stage, and our spring graduates are getting ready with excited anticipation. For many students, the job search is in full force. We are frequently asked “where can I look for a job?” without realizing that they can build from what they already have! Students are typically a very connected population- thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like, they’re able to make connections all around the world. Just because they are holding their diploma doesn’t mean they have to give up their profiles. In fact, students are encouraged to build from those profiles and make those connections more professional.
Careerealism has provided a great article regarding social media after graduation. Yes, it is possible to use your social media accounts to your advantage! They give much greater detail in their post, but I wanted to give a brief summary to you to get you started. They break down social media networking into six steps:
Just because you graduated, you don’t have to go completely off the radar. Think outside the box on how you can use your social media to work for you!
There’s a popular commencement speech from 1997 of which everyone seems to know at least one part. Often mistakenly attributed to Kurt Vonnegut, it was originally written by Mary Schmich for the Chicago Tribune. We’d like to dedicate it to all of our graduates! Congratulations and great job!
“Wear Sunscreen,” by Mary Schmich
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97:
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
We believe that every person we work with can be successful. But it’s important to understand that every person has a unique idea about what success is. We love this article from the Savvy Intern at YouTern because it shows how there are many ideas of success, and you have to find the one that makes you happiest.
What do you feel will make you successful? What goals do you need to reach to be successful? How do others around you perceive success?
ALBRIGHT ELCDC 