Truth and Reflection

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As I write this, I look ahead to another upcoming family graduation, this time my son’s commencement in which our young man, like his peers, is “starting another chapter in [his] life.”

It is a time for truth and reflection. Rather than the sections of a book, I somehow see the journey as a continuum, filled with ambitious millennials and gen Z-ers who have worked for this moment all of their young lives.  No matter the intentions, sometimes eating your vegetables, doing your homework and listening to your elders doesn’t always get you exactly where you want be. Or exactly you where you want to be immediately. Depending on what you believe or experienced, luck, fate and being open to the right opportunity at the right time can make all the difference in living out your dreams. Keeping the faith, remaining hopeful and steadfast also helps.

I wish I could give my son and all the students I meet some insight into what else they might need to pursue their goals given the passion and drive they exhibit. I wish I could share with them some “experienced mileage” from my own personal and professional journey that can be relevant to the digital world and the job market that they navigate today. Getting your share of student debt and a diploma is no longer an ironclad guarantee to an exceptional future — it comes down to life and what you make it — with or without a university degree.

In a house filled with realists, I try to stay encouraging and encouraged. Although the world barely resembles the one that I remember when I graduated, perhaps life as a series of chapters is still a fair analogy. The people who loved me, the lessons they taught and the reassurance they offered contribute to “my book” as I make my way through my life’s journey. My advice to the class of 2018? Even when it gets tough, stay sharp, stay focused, stay inspired as you write your way to your own dynamic epilogue.

A contributing writer to the Herald since 2012, Lauren Lev is an East Meadow resident and a direct marketing/advertising executive who teaches advertising and marketing communications courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology/SUNY, LIU Post and SUNY Old Westbury.