A high school diploma is important to everyone who has one, but it means something different to each one of them. For some it acted as a gateway to a more successful life, for others it supplied them with the opportunity to provide for their family. We decided to talk to our corporate team in Chicago and ask them why their diploma is important to them. Here are some of their responses:
“Earning my high school diploma was a lifetime milestone on my journey to going to college. I always wanted to go to college and study different subjects to learn how my interests would align to a career path that would allow me to make a difference in other people’s lives. By earning my high school diploma, I was a competitive applicant for colleges across the country. Focusing hard on my studies during my high school years allowed me to attend a terrific university that allowed me to explore so many different subject areas and confirmed my interest in public interest fields such as medicine and education. Looking back, I am so glad that I studied hard and earned my high school diploma so that these experiences later in life would be available to me.” Executive Team Member
“I was a pretty troubled teen and experienced a time when I thought I may not graduate high school, period. Mental barriers are sometimes the most obstructive kind. Receiving my High School Diploma marked the end of an era for me, one that I fought and struggled to get through. Hard work and dedication really do pay off though; I graduated in June and went to college that fall. I had the opportunity to study abroad and I traveled across Europe- one of the best experiences of my life. I graduated college with two B.A.’s and, fast forward to present day, I now work at a company whose mission truly resonates with me. And it all began with that High School Diploma. That is why it is important to me.” Operations Team Member
“My high school diploma is important because it is a foundation towards my academic career. Wherever life can take me having that platform for myself offers me a vast number of opportunities I usually would find myself limited from. Whether I want to focus on the financial aspect, continue my educational career, or simply am unsure, that diploma will forever be an achievement I can rely on to carry me forward. My diploma is my written example of not just my achievements, but of my overall achievement. My diploma is truly my own personal road to a more fruitful life.” Operations Team Member
“Working hard to achieve an American high school diploma opened all the doors for me professionally. I’ve often heard it said, high school is the end of nothing and the beginning of everything. Without a regular high school diploma, young adults in America today are professionally hamstrung at-best, and doomed to economic hardship for their foreseeable future, at-worst.” Executive Team Member
“I can still remember the day I earned my high school diploma even though it was decades ago! It was truly a pivotal moment in my transition from adolescence into adulthood. The sense of accomplishment and the pride I felt was gratifying! I also knew that my high school diploma was only the beginning of what I could accomplish in my lifetime. It opened opportunities for me to go on to college and pursue several degrees in education that have resulted in a lifetime career that is purposeful and rewarding. As a result, I have been able to provide a very comfortable life for my family and myself. I am so very grateful to my parents for always instilling in me a strong understanding of the power of education!” Executive Team Member
“I think as a teenager none of us understand the importance of having a high school diploma. At that vantage point how could one perceive the impact that a high school diploma will have on their lives? Most young people go through the motions to get it done just because that’s what their parents or family maybe have told them to do. Or maybe their family didn’t stress the importance of receiving a high school diploma at all. Either way, it’s rare that it is ever properly explained, as to what this simple piece of paper can do for their lives.”
Admittedly, I never received my high school diploma. I don’t know what it feels like to have one. I became a young father, got a part-time job, dropped out of school and acquired my GED that same summer. However, the stigma associated with having a GED never satisfied me the way I imagine a fully accredited high school program would have. Because of not having a high school diploma high paying jobs are hard to get, you may find yourself doing demeaning work that you don’t like, or you just may find yourself embarrassed when friends or family bring up high school, fearing the subject will turn toward whether I received my diploma or not. I have since continued my education and am presently seeking my bachelor’s degree. This time around though, the diploma I will receive I owe to my mother more than anyone. Why? Because I feel I cheated her out of the experience of being extremely proud of her son who graduated high school.” Operations Team Member
