Spring Break
'Perspective": Graduates should help shape Ocean County culture, which helped shape them
By Suzanne Penna
in OpinionIssue date: 5/7/09 Section: Opinion
Graduation commemorates a milestone. For some, this milestone is the first in a long line of future ssuccesses. For others, it may be the last in an enduring series of trials.
What makes this day so monumental? It is graduates' last day as OCC students; it is the completion of a task, the ending of a journey.
Many of my fellow graduates would probably bristle at the thought of a "non-traditional" student offering words of advice. I do not want to be condescending or pretentious, but I would like to offer some thoughts.
Never be afraid to challenge yourself. Without fire, the dross would remain on the silver. Challenges can reshape who you are and bring out beauty and talent you never thought possible. Just as a theory that is never tested can never be proven, a challenge never faced can never be conquered.
If you think you are involved in enough things, try just one more. Take advantage of what your future colleges or universities have to offer. Do not be content just to join the student government; try for an elected position. Do not just write for the newspaper; be the editor.
Learn more than what your professors have taught you. It is time to realize learning is not passive. Just reading what is required will get you only so far. Look to solve the whole problem, not just the section you have been assigned. The people who stand out are not mediocre.
As clichéd as it sounds, when you fall, get back up! In order to move on, you have to be willing to stand up and set out again. Staying down and wallowing in your situation only creates a hole out of which you need to pull yourself.
Have a dream. If you have nothing to strive for, there is no reward, there is no final destination. Each day you wake up, remember the dream, and make it a point to do something that brings you closer to your dream. No matter how small it seems, each small step builds on the last one. Eventually, you will pave a highway that leads you to your destination.
Finally, remember who you are and where you came from. Ocean County, New Jersey, is THE finest place in the world, and it offers an abundance of natural beauty, enhanced by some fabulous manmade attractions.
This culture has helped to shape you; make sure you return the favor and shape the culture around you for future generations.
What makes this day so monumental? It is graduates' last day as OCC students; it is the completion of a task, the ending of a journey.
Many of my fellow graduates would probably bristle at the thought of a "non-traditional" student offering words of advice. I do not want to be condescending or pretentious, but I would like to offer some thoughts.
Never be afraid to challenge yourself. Without fire, the dross would remain on the silver. Challenges can reshape who you are and bring out beauty and talent you never thought possible. Just as a theory that is never tested can never be proven, a challenge never faced can never be conquered.
If you think you are involved in enough things, try just one more. Take advantage of what your future colleges or universities have to offer. Do not be content just to join the student government; try for an elected position. Do not just write for the newspaper; be the editor.
Learn more than what your professors have taught you. It is time to realize learning is not passive. Just reading what is required will get you only so far. Look to solve the whole problem, not just the section you have been assigned. The people who stand out are not mediocre.
As clichéd as it sounds, when you fall, get back up! In order to move on, you have to be willing to stand up and set out again. Staying down and wallowing in your situation only creates a hole out of which you need to pull yourself.
Have a dream. If you have nothing to strive for, there is no reward, there is no final destination. Each day you wake up, remember the dream, and make it a point to do something that brings you closer to your dream. No matter how small it seems, each small step builds on the last one. Eventually, you will pave a highway that leads you to your destination.
Finally, remember who you are and where you came from. Ocean County, New Jersey, is THE finest place in the world, and it offers an abundance of natural beauty, enhanced by some fabulous manmade attractions.
This culture has helped to shape you; make sure you return the favor and shape the culture around you for future generations.
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