Wednesday, April 15, 2009

It's about that time to reflect

Quote of the Day:  "Do not go where  the path may lead, go instead   where there is no path and leave a trail."   Ralph Waldo Emerson


Today's theme is graduation.. senioritis everything of that sort... I have a lot of people  I know who are graduating from high school and college in a couple weeks ( or  a month and a half approximately if you go to SHS) so  I figured I would post a  words to wise kind of entry. It will be split into two parts... advice for high school seniors and advice to college seniors.
Part 1: High School  Seniors
It's been a long time since I was a senior in high school  (going on 5  years) at around this time   senior projects  were wrapping up... college apps had been sent in and most of my friends had found out where they were to  be going to school in September. Current seniors at Souhegan have the same kinds of things to deal with  even though  I think senior project presentations are now at end of April or beginning of May instead of earlier in April...  things have changed so much at Souhegan since I left that  I'm not sure how that schedule works now.  I'm sure the stress of the application process is well over and done with and that most of you know where you're going next yet.  The advice that would fit  your situations right now is live your final days of high school to the fullest because you will miss them  (and your friends) when they're gone.  When the end of the summer and  your departure to your  departure for college (where ever your travels may  lead you  close to home or far away) Embrace each day with passion and don't be afraid to try new things. When I was thinking of what clubs to join in college I kept my passions in check but wasn't afraid of trying something new and that's how  I met a ton of the friends  that I have now.  
Part 2:  College Seniors
This part of the entry  is more relevant to people  I am more closer to in age.  I am in awe that it was only a year ago when   I was in all of your shoes... stressed to the max about graduating on time and even more stressed about what  I would be doing post grad. It was only in the last couple of  weeks of school  when I realized how much  I was going to miss NEC (not so much Henniker because not a whole lot happens there but more so my friends,fellow thespians and professors)  and how much I still miss it and miss all my friends.  Transition from the college life to the real world is a daunting task but take it in stride and you'll do a ok.   The economic down turn has had the biggest effect on me because I have struggled with finding a job since I've graduated and  sometimes even pondered  why  I majored in  what I chose to major in (wishing  I had majored in education instead of communications)  but  I take that in stride too.  The right job will come along eventually  for me    I am sure as I'm sure it will come along for all of you once you start the ever so daunting search.  Live the final moments of your senior year to  the fullest and enjoy them.

Congratulations to everyone in the class  of 2009. Best of luck in whatever future endeavors you lead yourselves on. 

With all these thoughts of graduating  and  where people will be afterwards and even what some people  I graduated with last year are doing now   I can't  help but have a flash back to   August 12th  2007.  It was  the last  brunch at the Barn Playhouse at Wally and Bud's house where  I joined in a conversation that Nic,  Will and Paul where having  with Bud about where they see themselves in the future. I  didn't throw in my own two cents because I didn't want to interrupt anyone else's train of thought.    Besides the late night talks I used to have with Will about various things after Annie Get Your Gun rehearsals or even backstage when there wasn't much else to do  this conversation  really stood out to me because it got me to think about where  I was going with my life.. and where   I would predict most of my friends from the Barn Playhouse would be after we left NLBP. Broadway bound? Well maybe not yet but everyone has to start somewhere and from the chatting i've done with various people in my intern company  quite a few of them have been in either touring shows or off Broadway shows so that doesn't  shock me based on the diverse range of talent that everyone had.  Highly admirable. :D Love everyone in NLBP 07!!  Anyway enough about that.    I still think about the conversation a lot today because I guess the daunting question  I consistently find myself facing is  where do  I see myself in 5,10,15 years?    Communications  is clearly the broadest major one can choose but with the way a lot of newspapers seem to be going out of business  I don't know if i'll be able to make much of a career of being  a theatre reviewer  that's why  I've done some constant rethinking of my career path and  am gonna take some classes in the fall  in either Early Childhood Education, Speech Pathology  or Medical Coding.   It's a daunting and confusing task to try to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life..and quite challenging. It makes my head hurt. 

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