I’ve been waiting to write this column for four years.
My daughter, Rachel Mathes, graduated from Stetson University earlier this month with a bachelor’s degree. Not only did Rachel graduate in four years, she also started a job in her field two days after she received her diploma.
(Courtesy of Vic Anthony)
Rachel’s major was art, a major I was never that crazy about because I assumed it would be very difficult to translate into a job. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 27 percent of college graduates have jobs that match their college major.
But Rachel always believed she would beat the odds and proved she was right when she was hired to head up the art program at a large corporate day care center in Jacksonville.
My feelings about Rachel’s graduation and the beginning of her professional career are a jumble of emotion. I am, of course, tremendously proud of my daughter. And then there’s the feeling of great relief that Rachel is employed in a job she is excited about.
But her job is in Jacksonville, and that means my youngest is living four hours away from my home in Land O’ Lakes. That makes me very sad and my heart heavy, because after 26 years of raising children, I know this chapter of my life is truly over.
My little girl has grown up and no longer needs her mother to help her make decisions and plan her future.
So I guess you can say the apron strings truly have been cut. And with that, so have the financial strings. As a friend pointed out, not only is my daughter graduating, I also am getting a big raise since I will no longer be paying tuition.
Perhaps that is not such a bad trade off.
I share with you the story of Rachel’s graduation in this week’s paper because it is our annual graduation edition. The feelings of pride I have are the same many of you are feeling as your son or daughter graduates from high school and college this spring.
Graduation is testimony to the hard work we parents have keeping our students focused and committed to complete the work necessary to graduate. When our kid didn’t want to do the work, or wanted to drop out when the going got tough, it was our encouragement and confidence in their abilities that kept them going.
Teens and young adults look to us for the confidence they don’t have and our belief that they will succeed. As Rachel told me, dropping out of college was never an option for her because I was always there cheering her on and believing without a doubt that she would graduate.
To celebrate the achievements of our local graduates, and also their parents’ success in funneling their energies to get to graduation, the center section of today’s paper lists the names of every graduating high school senior in our community.
If you live in Land O’ Lakes and Pasco Lutz, today’s Laker has the names of graduating seniors from Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes high schools. The Wesley Chapel edition lists graduates from Wiregrass Ranch and Wesley Chapel high schools. Our East Pasco edition has the names of graduates from Zephyrhills and Pasco high schools.
Folks in the east side of the county have the names of graduates from Zephyrhills and Pasco high schools. And if you live in Hillsborough County and receive the Lutz News, your names are graduates from Steinbrenner and Freedom high schools.
In addition to students from these public schools, we also are publishing the names of graduates from four private schools: Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes Christian, Bishop McLaughlin and Zephyrhills Christian high schools.
Today parents will search the alphabetical listings in our graduation section. And when they see the name of their son or daughter, they will feel proud and good because they know their hard work as parents has paid off.
And like me, they will reflect back on their many years as a parent and remember that despite the challenges and struggles, it was all worth it.
Published May 28, 2014
