I was fortunate to have been invited to two high school graduations, Malibu High School and Santa Monica High School. Since they were both occurring at almost the same time, I rushed to Malibu High mainly to give a gift and take pictures, and then decided to drive to Santa Monica High.
Although the schools are quite different, (Malibu’s 12th graduating class with 170 seniors and Santa Monica’s 153rd graduation with 800 students), all the graduates brought an uplifting feeling of hope. I couldn’t stay for the complete Malibu graduation, but was able to get to Santa Monica in time to hear the young woman, presenter of the Class of 2007, who spoke about the benefits of having diversity.
She told how the challenge was not only getting good grades, but also being able to navigate through the crowded halls to get to the next class on time. As I sat there with tears in my eyes, she continued her presentation stating sincerely how the emerging graduates desire to better the planet and find cures for cancer and other diseases.
As I browsed through the college admissions section and noted all the excellent schools (including Harvard, MIT, Bryan Mawr, Yale) on the list, a strong feeling of hope arose in my heart that maybe some of these dreams would come true.
Of course, it takes more than a good school to succeed, so I made a wish that when things got difficult for these young pioneers of the future, that they fight disillusion, remember the joy and excitement of graduating from high school and have the determination to make their dreams a reality. Congratulations and good fortune!
A. Rosenthal