Graduations 2017 In The USA

There is no way on earth I could count the number of graduations that I have attended. In my career I have been principal of elementary and high schools and so presented hundreds (thousands?) of diplomas. I was a superintendent of schools which took me to many more. I have spoken at several college graduation ceremonies. At all of those I sat on the stage. But this year I was there just to celebrate the grads, sit back and enjoy the ceremony and to have my own thoughts and responses.

The last few weeks have taken me to the graduation ceremonies of a public Junior college (Miramar), two high schools (both Catholic) and a public university (UCLA). Each of these was wonderfully inclusive. The grads’ surnames reflected more ethnicities than I could count. Even just thinking of the actual grads who had invited me I was struck by their variety in their or their family’s background. One was from Afghanistan whose parents were both killed by the Taliban precisely because they sent their daughter to school (girls are not supposed to go to school). Another was adopted because her birth mother was a drug addict and abusive. A third has a mother from Jamaica. Another had a father born in Hong Kong.  They were Christian, Muslim and “other or none”.  By gender they were not all straight. But they were all Americans and determined to make a positive difference in this country and in the world.

I could not help but contrast these classes from my own graduations. All my graduation classmates from elementary school through college were white, all American born, all Lutheran. But beyond the differences in our backgrounds I was struck by common themes articulated by both speakers and grads. I rejoiced at the challenge to dream big, to pursue the common good, to live lives of service to humanity, to be a part of one world which needs the best from every one of us.

As together we recited the pledge of allegiance I was proud to be an American. I am grateful for the heritage that welcomes immigrants, that supports both public and private education, that encourages upward mobility, that affirms our connection to the whole of humanity and all creation. And I said a silent prayer of thanks for all school teachers and administrators who nurture the hopes, dreams and abilities of all these grads.

One final shout-out. As stated above, I salute the students, teachers and parents of all grads and I extend a special plea to my colleagues in the Lutheran school business around the world. Keep the vision alive. Pursue the goal to always have each and every one of your students be set free and empowered to become all that God intends them to be