Determined young woman climbs to the top.
Dear Class of 2022:
You are perseverance personified.
You worked extremely hard to make it through high school. I hope you are taking a well-earned break. The summer after graduation can be a wonderful time. And you should feel good having just reached a major milestone. But the reality is, your education isn’t over.
While you have challenges ahead, you also have great opportunities, if you embrace the spirit of perseverance that’s gotten you this far and will continue to guide you through college, career, and beyond.
You arrived at the precipice of adulthood amidst a global pandemic, social unrest, economic anxiety, and new instability in the world. The past several years have been hard for everyone. They were especially hard on you and your classmates.
Your biggest memories of high school may be the ones you didn’t get to make. Maybe it was not getting to try out for a sports team, a school dance canceled, missing out on a small moment with friends or a favorite teacher. You also missed out on learning opportunities. But you gained something too: the ability to learn in new ways, and the resilience necessary to navigate the challenges of an interconnected world.
It wasn’t perfect and in many cases it was far from enough, but learning during the pandemic nonetheless demanded that educators and students alike become more flexible. You’ve already shown that you have what it takes to navigate volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. As the pandemic disrupted your learning, you pivoted to new technology and remote learning. You collaborated with your teachers and peers with all manner of intermediary tools. And through it all, your resilience kept you learning even if it was from your kitchen table rather than a classroom desk. That ability to learn in new ways will be vital, so hold to it!
The world of work is changing rapidly and even more change is coming. Within the next decade, some 73 million jobs in the U.S. alone could be eliminated by automation. From retail positions and delivery services, to healthcare and manufacturing, many of the jobs you’re walking into today or will soon are likely to look radically different or not exist at all in the not-so-distant future.
Our world is more interconnected than ever; work and life are more globalized than ever.
The impacts of this interconnected world stretch from the education you just completed into careers that lay ahead. The reality is that schools in the United States were once among the best in the world, and many still are. But on the whole, students in several countries are catching up and passing our graduates in terms of achievement and skills.
You aren’t competing for jobs with the kids down the street or the neighboring high school. Instead, you will be part of a truly global workforce where firms and organizations can find the right person with the right skills no matter where they call home.
Amid these disruptions, many of your classmates have chosen a different path after graduation than the generation before you. A job may be more appealing than college right now, but don’t let it keep you from future advancement. You should still commit to growth and learning so there are doors to open down the road. More of your peers are choosing to earn job credentials or go through a coding bootcamp that can translate into good-paying careers. These are knowledge workers in their own right, the kind that tomorrow’s economy will reward.
Places like Singapore and Switzerland have robust career and workplace learning opportunities for students and adults alike. The result is a workforce with the skills that employers are looking for and an economy that demonstrates that. Closer to home, the movement toward stackable credentials and qualifications is gaining steam. It’s a reflection of the growing consensus that work and life will be different in the future. The big question is just how different. You will have a say in that.
It may be summer and you’d rather think about anything else, but your education isn’t done. It won’t be done after college or trade school. It won’t even be done if you decide to earn a PhD. As an architect of change, you’ll need to be constantly learning, growing and adapting across your entire working life. However you decide to shape the future, you will have to work harder than previous generations to find the solutions we need. You’ll need to build on the foundation you have now and continue to build on it in order to seize the opportunities you seek. I believe that you’re up for the challenge.
Indeed, the future is yours to build. The challenges the world presents are real and big, but not impossible. The activism of your generation and your focus on creating and designing for good shows you know this and know how to take it on. You will need to continue to learn, adapt and improve. You’ll have to think critically, problem solve, embrace both your creative and analytical perspectives, and at the same time engage productively in your communities.
You are perseverance personified; it’ll carry you far, and I can’t wait to see just where it takes you!
Onward,
Vicki
