After graduation....

It’s officially that time of year in the high school halls! 🏫🎒

My seniors are thick in the middle of thinking, planning, and dreaming about what comes next after graduation! 🎓💭 The air is filled with a wild mix of excitement and, let’s be honest, some serious dauntiveness! 😅🎢

Some are solid on a 4-year university 🏛️📚, others are looking at community college to start 🌱, and some are exploring trade schools, eager to get their hands on a new skill! 🛠️🔧 A few are ready to dive right into the workforce and start their careers! 💼🏃🏾‍♀️

It’s a massive transition, and I am so incredibly happy that I get to play a small part in influencing their decisions positively. 🛤️🗣️ Recounting my own experiences and offering suggestions is easily one of the most rewarding parts of this job! 💡❤️

But here’s something I think about often: as teachers, we don’t always understand just how much influence we carry. 🍎👩🏾‍🏫 It’s not just in the lesson plans! Whether I’m walking in wearing my college gear 🎓👕, my sorority gear 💙💛🐩, or my bible gear ✝️🕊️… they are always watching. 👀🧐 They see the conduct. They see the character. They see how those things shape someone’s future. 🚶🏾‍♀️✨

We are living epistles 📖✍🏾, and it reminds me that everything we do matters. Two verses that keep me grounded in this season are: 👇🏾

👉🏾 “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” — 1 Timothy 4:12 💬🙏🏾💖 (Even as they look forward, I get to model what a life centered on Christ looks like right now.)

👉🏾 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” — Proverbs 22:6 🛤️👣🌅 (We are setting the path, and that is a beautiful, daunting, and exciting responsibility!)

So, to all the seniors: dream big 🚀, and know you have people in your corner! 🙌🏾💪🏾 And to all the educators: keep shining, your influence is felt way more than you know! 🍎✨