EDITORIAL: Congratulations and good luck to graduates

It’s an exciting time — and also an uncertain one — for graduates in Lake City and around the nation.

Lake City High School held its commencement ceremony Friday, and The Carolina Academy’s senior class graduated a week earlier, on May 22. For many college graduates, it’s been even longer since they marched.

Take some time to celebrate with your family and friends, and enjoy one last summer before college or the “real world.” We want to encourage you about your future, but we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the suffering job market as well as rising college tuition costs.

Nonetheless, we have high hopes for you all, and we’ve seen the kind of successes that Lake City can produce. And while everyone’s not Ronald E. McNair or Darla Moore, some of Lake City’s most notable achievers, many people have found a more modest success back home, or wherever they end up, that makes them happy.

So study diligently, be relentless in sending out resumes — do whatever it takes to make sure you are making the most of your experience and diploma, and don’t get discouraged.

Many people know at a young age what they would like to do with their life. Some people are just determined, and almost destined, to become doctors or lawyers.

For many others, it’s more difficult. We’ve been there, and we know it’s tough to decide at age 18 — and even by 21 — to have your entire life mapped out.

The world is changing; the jobs that were hot when we were children might not be in demand when we are grown. It’s best this day in age to keep an open mind and remain flexible. With fewer positions leading to a more competitive job-seeking environment, we all have to work even harder to make ourselves stand out. That includes those of us already in the working world in addition to those first-time job seekers, looking to begin their careers.

For high school graduates, college can be a trying time. Many freshmen are getting their first taste of “real” freedom, so it’s easy to lose focus; the classes, however, will be an academic challenge like nothing most high school seniors have experienced to that point.

On top off that, add a job or two just to make ends meet, and study time can become a rarity. Luckily, the summer and winter breaks are typically longer than they were in high school, so you’ll have more time to recuperate.

The world might seem scary right now; pretty much everyone is worried to some degree. Nonetheless, we want you to be encouraged and excited about the possibilities that lie ahead of you, not discouraged about the rough waters our state and country are traversing right now.

We hope that the economy will turn around soon and that everyone will have ample opportunities to find success.

Here’s wishing the best of luck to all of our graduates. Make us proud.