Items
topic_interest is exactly
diploma
-
2020-06-05
Beating the Odds
As cliche as it sounds I feel like I've fought all my life to get my diploma. Covid-19 was just another fight that I had to get through to get what I desired. I was so excited for senior year to start for all of events and the approach of college. When the pandemic first arrived in the United States, I didn't think much of it. At worst, I thought we would only have a few days off from school. Little did I know I would not be returning once covid hit. Although my parents got sick and I was continuing to work, school remained in session. Even though it was online, it was a major adjustment and at times I didn't think it would make it. As time progressed and the pandemic gradually got worse I managed to graduate. Although it was not the traditional graduation setting, I was content with the drive thru graduation I received. To graduate during a pandemic is an achievement I will forever be proud of and to every student during this pandemic I'm also proud of because at the end of the day school simply is not just school. Meaning, one doesn't just learn something grasp it immediately and be done. There are steps involved, learning barriers, time commitments, life stressors, and so much more. Life often becomes a barrier to school and to be able to endure that is quite the achievement. This photograph has tremendous meaning to me because in all honesty I accomplished what I wanted to do. -
2021-01-24
My Student Staff Lost Their Graduations
I manage a staff of Math and Science student tutors for one of the Arizona State University campuses. In early 2020, five of my staff were seniors who started to get excited about their upcoming May graduations. As COVID-19 started spreading, they began to worry that their commencements would not take place. Sadly, they were correct. It was heartbreaking watching them try to accept that their last four to five years of study would not culminate into the graduations they were so looking forward to experiencing. I tried to comfort them by reminding them that all of their hard work these last several years was about to pay off in a future that would provide them many opportunities to succeed. It did not comfort them. Next, I tried to put into words that although their disappointment was valid, their ultimate goal was not walking across a stage but instead to realize their dreams of becoming scientists, mathematicians, medical doctors, etc. It did not help. In the end, it was what it was. There was nothing I could say to make them feel better. In retrospect, what could possibly have been said to comfort these students who may very well have been the first group since the Spanish Flu pandemic that would not experience a traditional university graduation? This was not a time for words. It was just a time to be there if they needed someone to listen and vent to without judgement. True to form, these five did apply to medical and graduate schools, and forensic science positions. I know great things are in store for them. Hopefully, if this pandemic has taught them anything, it is perseverance in the face of adversity. To not give up and keep moving forward. -
2020-05-13
Graduation Reimagined
Letter from our Principal, Jim Swetter, about the alternative graduation ceremonies for 2020 Cactus Shadows High School seniors.