Pomp and Circumstance: What were you anticipating about life at your high-school graduation?

As far as my graduation, I had already stopped attending high school mid year, and started attending college. Graduation only happened in June, so I did join everyone in my class for graduation. When I arrived, it was done off site, I felt like an outsider. I talked to a few people, but most were either in their clique, or very focused on the event back to happen.

I had no idea what the line up was for the ceremony. It wound up we had JW Marriott Jr. as the guest speaker and he was great. I don’t remember the speech well, but it was a pretty neat thing to have someone from such a successful family, a major corporation, give the commencement speech for a high school class.

I don’t remember at all what I did afterwards. I probably went to lunch with my family. I don’t remember going to any parties.

I was already going to college part time and working part time, and that stayed the same for another year until I transferred to a university.

At the time of my graduation I had enrolled and applied for an associate degree in Business and Hotel/Restaurant management. I was thinking that when I got my degree I would apply for a business loan and build a resort. Like, I would be ready to go and people would laud my great ideas and business plan. Gradually, over many years, this plan became a Retreat Center. But still hasn’t been done, My life went many other places but ultimately nowhere.

I could still DO some of the goals I had in High School, or do something more practical based on what I could have done then. But as the John Cougar Mellencamp song says, Life goes on—long after the thrill of living is gone.

I was accepted early decision into the engineering college of my choice and had a clear understanding about what I’d be doing in the near future. I also had a summer job lined up. Life was good.
I didn’t do much socializing but it didn’t matter.

That the draft and the war in Viet Nam would end before I got called up.

I skipped my high school graduation, with my parents’ approval. There were 1100 of us Seniors—one more or less didn’t make a difference.

I knew I was going to college, at the place where I really wanted to go. So I was happy. At age 18, I didn’t know what I wanted as a profession. That’s what college was for.

I was thinking that I would finish college, get a great high-paying job and marry well, and have a big family. The future was bright, I’d be a teacher and help mold kids into great human beings.

I had no idea that every day people were fighting hunger, homelessness, abuse and all the things I know now. I was very innocent in many ways about global affairs and issues, I thought voting was stupid and pointless, and politics really didn’t affect my life. Growing older and wiser has been a very enlightening process, and I’m a better person for it. Less selfish, less narcissistic, etc…

I don’t exactly know because I wasn’t at my high school graduation, wasn’t thinking about it, and didn’t know what day it was happening. My senior project involved being in Europe and so I was thinking about the places and people where I was at the time, and how interesting and heartening it was to be in countries where I felt I would not have felt so alienated by the culture had I grown up there rather than in America. And yet I wasn’t from those countries, so I wasn’t exactly home there either, but I liked most of their culture, as opposed to how I felt about the commercial and disconnected emptiness back in the USA. When I was thinking about the future, it was about university, writing, games, and love relationships.

Well, I haven’t graduated yet. But I will be a senior next year and so I will be graduating a year from now.
I’m hoping I get into a school with a marching band. A tech school that doesn’t cost a ton so I still have money for a car and apartment. I’m hoping to move out as soon as I graduate high school.

I want to major in Computer Science. Mainly want to go into cyber defense- maybe work in a cybercrime division somewhere but I don’t know. That might not be too realistic because I’d have to work for the government and they seem to want people who’ve attended 4-year schools.
So otherwise, I’d go into cybersecurity or computer programming. Probably a Security specialist.

I’m obviously hoping I’d get a good job, have a good family and life. I’m hoping to be successful- maybe not rich but comfortable.

I’ll be playing at this years graduation though, with other non-senior members of my band

I was hoping to make out with my girlfriend. Didn’t happen.

@RedDeerGuy1 That’s all?? geez!

@kritiper I started my chambermaid job in Sept 2 1995. I wanted to be a psychologist or reasearch psychologist .

@RedDeerGuy1 I meant you only wanted to make out with your girlfriend? Nothing more than just make out??? You didn’t want to do the nasty??? The whole enchilada??? Boinky-boinky???

@kritiper yes. I’m human. I just don’t want an unwanted pregnancy. That screwed up many parents lives. Also I want my first time to be special. I didn’t have any access to birth control. I was broke.

Ok.

Having only spent two years in this particular high school/state and noticing that most of the students had known each other for many years I was bored to death , wanted the entire thing to be over . I was happy that classes there were over too. Where was the girl I met early on? I didn’t see her at graduation so I was really feeling out of everything.
I am not sure if my father had made the announcement by this time that I was going directly to college forty miles from our house. That’s when the fun started.

Well, I’m a millennial, so I guess I thought I was about to make $100,000 a year with a philosophy degree.

Just joshing. I was just excited to move on with my life. I had become a bit sick of high school; not overly negative about it, but I was eager for what came next. I was both nervous and excited for the next stage, especially since I already knew my best friend was going to be my roommate. I was hoping I would enjoy the next four years more than the previous four (and I did. A lot more). I definitely had a “world is my oyster” outlook at that time.

I was home schooled by a mother that didn’t care since I couldn’t be smoked from a light-bulb.

I missed 4 years of school where I had no supervision. Speed is good high mother…

So when I bailed I had pretty much taken my last formal class in the 7th grade. And when I went in with my sister to get in high school they were all. Technically a junior. And then a confusion bomb. Nobody knew how to deal with this. There was a big gap in my education. Do they put my old ass into Jr. High. Or stick me in with my peers and roll the dice?

Ah man, I was so optimistic. I was proud I had graduated top of my class despite my illness and was pretty sure that was proof that being sick would never hold me back from anything. I was so excited – and nervous – to leave for college. I certainly didn’t expect that I’d only be able to get through 2 months of college before my health would require me to drop out. It all worked out OK in the end though.

I was planning to major in physics and become a NASA scientist or engineer. That didn’t happen either, but I’m fine with where I am in life.