Inspired by 2021 Graduates BY LURA ROTI
W
hen Sir Edward Elgar composed “Pomp and Circumstance”, I wonder if he had any idea of the emotions his piece would evoke. As one of the many graduates who received her diplomas to this ceremonious tune, every time I hear it, I am overcome with memories. Graduation is a momentous occasion. And 2021 graduates have a lot to celebrate. In addition to their degrees, they overcame unprecedented obstacles, figured out creative ways to live their new normal and discovered how to stay connected with those they love and care about. These 2021 graduates inspire me. In February, I began working on an “In Their Own Words” series for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, where I interviewed high school seniors from across the state to learn about them and how this pandemic has impacted their senior year. Working with an amazing sound engineer, Steve Munsen, I interviewed students via Zoom. And the mature thoughts they shared with me, not only gave me quite a bit to think about, but made me quite optimistic for our future. Let me share a few of their thoughts with you. “Treat every day like we’re going to get school called off again.” Carlee Hetland, 2021 Roosevelt Graduate It’s amazing what you can learn from 18-year-olds. Because of the pandemic, most of the students shared that they gained a new-found appreciation for living in the moment and not taking activities or time with others for granted. When Carlee Hetland shared this with me during my first interview, I was in the midst of remote schooling our daughter, Parker, and had a bad attitude about juggling my workload while at the same time teaming up with my husband to help school her. After this conversation, I began to remind myself that this was a fleeting moment in my parenting career, and I needed to find the good to be thankful for. “We lost our homecoming football game. We didn’t get to watch our boys and support the boys and our senior boys didn’t have the chance to play in that game because our opponent got COVID and couldn’t come play. So, it’s just things like that that are really eye-opening.” Holli Jark, 2021 Warner High Graduate While adults were bickering about mask mandates, high school seniors I interviewed were encouraging their teammates to keep
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KNICK KNACKS OF LIFE
