To the Magnificent and Mystical Class of 2019!

Dear Students,

As I have been hearing about your graduations, saying goodbyes and attending open houses, I felt compelled to send you this note of reflection and praise. It got me thinking…. This Class of 2019 was magnificent and mystic. More on the second word at the end…

This whole college thing is an epic time! Thinking back on my college days still fills me with a sense of giddy awe. I remember the nervous excitement, anxiousness and faking the amount of cluelessness that comes with being a freshman newbie. One of my students currently attending college said in an email during freshman year, and I quote:

“If my life were a stage, high school was when everyone got ready for the big theatre production, people coming in and all of us busy behind the scenes. College is like when that curtain opens up…”

I love that stage metaphor. So if you don’t have some butterflies or a stir of emotions, you should! That shoe needs to fit.

I leave you with these random “Ryan” college counselor thoughts:

You are Generation Z, and unlike my generation, you have always lived in a world with emojis and cell phones. You probably know Justin Timberlake as a solo act. You are also future leaders, innovators, communicators, and world changers. You will hold jobs that have not even been created yet, and I sincerely believe you are the generation that will save our planet. Yes, I believe I need one of those Generation Z bumper stickers for your amazing class!
Two common college questions I get from folks who know what I do are, “What are your favorite colleges?” and “Do you like this college, Ryan?” Well, that depends on you, the student. It’s all about the favorite shoe fit. The happy, snug factor. And as you walk across your chosen college destination this fall, “may the fit” be with you! (Yes I can be cheesy).
As you experience your personal college “fit factor,” please keep in touch. Shall your college destination ever become hard on your feet, I will be your shoe cobbler. So please feel free to email, text me, or call me with the good, the bad, and the mystical about college. 🙂

Now that I covered the magnificent, let me end with the mystical part. I do believe some of the college experience is exactly that. Stepping into the unknown, maybe you are going far away and believe you’re one of the only Minnesota freshmen; maybe college is near, but you have no idea about your major or career. Sooner than you think, though, that curtain will rise, and you’ll be center stage. When it comes to this class and all your unique college destinations, I can’t think of anything more mystical than that!

I will leave you with one of my own high-school senior year Beatles themed photos from a galaxy far away and a couple of quotes, (two real and one fictional), from some of my heroes now and when I was your age.