By Gina Long
Congratulations, Michael.
Today you graduate from high school.
The new Trinity Catholic High School gym will be packed with proud relatives and friends of the Class of 2025. It is not just a rite of passage, but a gateway to a whole new experience. You will continue to ease The Hutchinson Tribune’s transition to new ownership while preparing yourself to pursue a journalism degree at the University of Kansas on the prestigious John P. Kaiser Scholarship.
It is tough to believe that I have only known you for a little over two years. From the philosophy book club to starting and running the Tribune, I feel like I have known you my entire life, and I am watching a friend move on to a greater destiny.
I want to send you off with some things to think about as you begin your college academic life. Some of these I learned along the way, and others I learned well after graduation:
Spend your money, time and energy on experiences, not things.
A top-of-the-line new gaming computer versus a concert or lecture ticket? Go to the lecture. See the concert.
If your community asks you to be Clark Kent, grab a notepad and look for phone booths.
Shiny new things wind up in a drawer or on a shelf and have to move when you do. Electronics become obsolete quickly. Clutter takes up an incredible amount of spatial and mental bandwidth.
Have a ready-to-go bag in your dorm room or car. No need to pack — just grab and go!
On the other hand, memories are carried with you in your head, accessible at any time.
Get out of your comfort zone, but do it safely. Remember skiing?
Keep a journal and write it by hand.
Writing your thoughts and experiences by hand forces you to slow down and think. Write in ink so there is no “delete” button. Scan your completed journals into PDFs and store them externally.
Write your story like you’re on a hero’s journey. Organic chemistry homework causing despair? It isn’t homework; it’s a quest to level up by gaining esoteric knowledge. It sounds weird, but it works.
Journaling helps with decision-making because it allows you to reflect on your thought process and see the context and assumptions you used then.
People want to know your story, and they will want to know it one hundred years from now. Only you can tell it. Take photos and fill out the information — who, what, where, and when, and store those, too.
Eat well.
College cafeteria food is much more nutritious and has much more variety than it did back in my day. Remember to eat your fruits and vegetables and try lots of new things. Try the kebabs, the falafel, the tikki masala and the turtle soup. Enjoy the adobo, mafongo and arepas. Food unites people, and nutritious food keeps you healthy.
Remember when we first started the Tribune and ate at McDonald’s because it was affordable and they had free Wi-Fi? The luxury of better choices is incredible.
Don’t forget to exercise.
I am not talking the required elective PE classes. Play intramural sports. Take a long, leisurely walk through a park or a quiet neighborhood. Go for a run regularly. College requires a lot of sitting around — in lectures, homework, in front of computers. Give your body a break and work off stress and tension. Put it in your schedule, along with meal times and laundry. Your health will thank you in the future.
Spend time in nature.
So much college life is spent under roofs. Take your shoes off and walk in the grass. Stop and smell the roses. Read a book under a tree. Listen to the birds. Watch the cheeky squirrels. Zealously protect your campus green spaces. Not everything needs to be paved over.
Make and cultivate friendships that will last decades.
Meet people who don’t share your background and worldview. Use that journalistic curiosity and seek out random strangers. Everyone is unique. Make their stories part of your own. Journal about them.
Call your parents frequently.
Just do it. They have been your biggest cheerleaders. Share your triumphs and your learning experiences with them at least weekly. If you don’t, I know where to find you.
Congratulations, again, and I look forward to watching your walk across the stage in cap and gown, marching into a brilliant future.
Nancy Judy / May 11, 2025
Michael, she left off a piece of advice that I must add.—Continue to grow in your faith. Find the Catholic Campus Center, go to church, and continue to make time to be involved in your faith! 🙂
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