‘TIDBITS & PERSONAL(Advice) FOR ALL GRADUATES
…Especially High School Graduates & Their Parents…’
As we embark on this special time of the year (May), let me be the first to say Congratulations to all the 2026 GRADS and certainly to their PARENTS/GUARDIANS!!!
In my day, I was not consulted to ‘if’ I wanted to go to college or not…and to be truthful, if they had asked me, I really would not know what to say! Nevertheless, thank you to my parents, Juanita and James Jelks, and Rev. L. G. Fields (my home-church pastor of Sweet Home United Methodist Church) for your guidance, sacrifices, and love!!!! By the way, grads, be SURE to THANK your parents, teachers, and all who helped you to this magnificent milestone phase of your life!!!
Grads, you might be wondering what you’re going to do next in your life, or you may have a plan. Graduation means you’re moving onto the next phase of your life, which is why it’s both so scary and thrilling. It only makes sense that you would be looking for the best advice for graduates. Allow me to share, for I and so many others do care for you, and we’re so excited for you to get started!!!!!
- Start saving for retirement now!
{It is great to start investing early because your money will have the ability to grow for years, and compound interest is your best friend when you have that kind of security–plus you will build great financial habits by starting early, giving you financial freedom for your future, even the possibility of retiring early.}
- Live your own life.
I feel like so many people have this image in their head of how life should be>>> Family, house with a white picket fence, 9 to 5 job, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Traveling more and putting yourself out there teaches you that there is a lot to learn about life, and so many different ways to live your life and be happy.}
Read more books. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.
Be positive. Learn something new as often as you can. Learn how to make extra money.
Do things that make you uncomfortable. Don’t let life pass you by.
Appreciate moments with those you love. Less stuff = freedom. Help others. Build a budget. Believe in yourself. Know that not all adults know what they are doing.
Guess what—The above is what I would tell myself, and while I may not have listened to everything, I do think that it would have made me think long and hard. Perhaps, it would have changed my life even better for the future.
1. Explore Post-High School Education Options:
2 Year College or University; 4 Year College or University;
Trade School or Certificate Program; Study Abroad
2. Start Working: Get a Job; Become an Apprentice;
Freelancing ; Do an Internship; Start a Business
3. ALTERNATIVE PATHS: Serve Through Americorps; Join the Military. Learn to Cook (culinary school). Volunteer
4. MORE THINGS TO CONSIDER:
Identify what you love doing and what excites you.
Make a list of things you want to experience in life. Explore if going to college matches your interests and goals.
Talk to a career advisor to get guidance on your future path.
Research the different options you have and how much they cost.
R E M E M B E R, Seize the reins of your future by setting achievable goals and staying open to diverse opportunities!!!
DO’s and DON’TS FOR PARENTS OF GRADUATES:
Do Listen. Don’t Preach; Do Encourage. Don’t pressure.
Do coach. Don’t control. Do communicate. Don’t nag.
As your child walks up to receive their diploma, Do applaud. Don’t blow whistles, horns or walk up on stage with them.”
Do point them to JESUS. Don’t push them to resistance.
Do pray. Don’t worry.
FEEL FREE TO USE THESE QUOTES TO ALL:
“Having the right mindset is critical to graduation, no matter what age you decide to take the leap.”
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
“GOD wants us to know that life is a series of beginnings, not endings. Just as graduations are not terminations but commencements.”
“Remember, half the doctors in this country graduated in the bottom half of their class.”
“It’s more than a diploma. It’s more than graduation. It’s knowledge.”
“The noblest question in the world is: What good may I do in it?”
“To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.”
“Be the author, not the reader, of your own life.”
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
“Graduation is the beginning of knowing who you are, what you are, why you are, and always knowing where you are going.”
“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
“Now that you’re graduated, just remember, bosses don’t usually accept notes from your mother.”
Brenda M. Jelks~Hutchinson
A Child of GOD who still knows
The HOLY BIBLE is the greatest book of all!!!