This past week at our National Honor Society (NHS) meeting, one of our co-presidents, Liz Erickson, came up with the idea to have some teachers come in to speak about their career paths and college experiences. These teachers included Mrs. Charlene Cook, Mr. Chad Collins, Mr. Kyle Park, Mr. Jeremy McLaughlin, and Mrs. Kelly Whittaker. But what was different about these speakers was that they all went through life making a significant change. These are role models that we see every day at the high school, who one day decided that they wanted to take a different path. These changes ranged from changing majors, changing colleges, and changing jobs. But what really stuck out to me was that none of these teachers were afraid to follow their gut and chase after what they were naturally good at. Many seniors feel as though there is some type of pressure that everyone must have their entire life planned out by the time they go to college. On the flip side, many others believe that they are destined for a particular field and they could never see themselves doing anything else. These teachers helped us understand that we don’t need to know what we want to do for the rest of our lives right now, and if we do know, we must understand that changing our minds is always an option. Personally, hearing these teachers speak made me realize that next year at college I will be starting a new journey filled with new opportunities and new ideas. I know from talking to others that they feel better about not knowing exactly what to major in, because life will always unfold the way it is meant to as we gather new experiences. It was wonderful to hear the back-stories of the teachers we know and love, and how they came to be where they are today. These are the type of role models that will continue to inspire us long after high school. This was certainly one of the most beneficial opportunities we have had in NHS for both juniors and seniors!

Molly Hill, Secretary of National Honor Society

Thank you, Molly, for reporting on this wonderful presentation. Also, thank you to the staff members who were willing to share more with students about their own college and career paths.