Its graduation day

It’s the time of the year when families and friends gather to celebrate the profound accomplishments of their beloved graduates.?According to the National Center for Education Statistics, it is projected that approximately 3,388,680 high school students will graduate this year - from 26,727 high schools and supported by 11.8 million teachers. The high school graduation rate is ~85%, and a little over 61% of graduates will go on to attend a college or a university.

The graduation ceremonies are much more than the mere passage of time - they are the product of late nights, hard work, and true dedication. It is truly inspiring to observe the intellectual and personal growth of students.??

I still get inspired by the ceremonies and get reflective on what has made the most impact on my career.??

?This past week, I attended the high school graduation ceremony for my oldest nephew. He is an impressive young man - through the course of the evening, he picked up two awards. He was not the class valedictorian, but rather he was granted the “leadership award” - it is equivalent to a people's award. My heart was full with pride during the presentation - the principal said: “this young man would stop by my office every morning to check on me”. I was reminded that the?distinguishing quality of most successful people that I have come across in professional settings has been their command of interpersonal skills, their sense of empathy, and their measure of emotional intelligence. Those tend to be the qualities of a true hustler - someone that is insanely dedicated, takes risks, creates opportunities and plays the long game.

?During her speech, the class valedictorian shared a lovely anecdote - while growing up, her father repeated the story of the farmer's daughter to her. When a young man wished to marry his daughter - the farmer ordered him to stand in the field and to grab the tail of at least one of the 3 bulls that he would release at a time. If he succeeded, he can have his daughters' hand in marriage. As the barn door opened, out came the biggest bull - intimidated, the young man decided to let it go, assuming that the next one had to be a better choice. The barn door opened for a 2nd time, and the young man stood aside again, scared by the ferociousness of that bull. And so, for the 3rd and final open, a scrawny bull appeared - a hopeful young man stood poised to grab the tail of this tiny animal, only to be surprised to find out that it did not have a tail. The moral of this story is simple - better opportunities may never be available.

?And finally, the message to the 2023 graduates was rather simple: to be nice, and to be kind to?others, because we never know what someone is going through.?

?During his speech, the school principal shared an instance in his first year of high school when he helped his now best friend gather his books off the parking?lot sidewalk, after he was pushed over by other students. His best friend went on to be the class valedictorian. And at the graduation ceremony, as the young man gave his speech, he thanked his friend for being there for him on that day. He said that on the day they met in the parking lot, he had emptied his locker and was on his way to drop out of school. But he changed his mind when he was met with the kindness of?a stranger. This graduate went on to start a very successful company and earn a career as an entrepreneur.?In corporate culture, we are sometimes conditioned to believe that competition is cut-throat - but experience?teaches us that generous leadership and a kind personality are quite effective.?

?The second award that my nephew received was not really for him - it was for “best parenting”. I was equally proud to see my sister and her husband receive this well deserved accolade.?My nephew will attend High Point University in the fall.

As a parent, albeit a little ways away from a high school graduation, I wish a lot of success to all our graduates!