Schools

Sail On, Dreadnaughts!

Dexter High School senior Paige Driscoll encourages her classmates to pursue their dreams.

By Paige Driscoll

Famous pioneer and explorer Daniel Boone once said, "Having an exciting destination is like setting a needle in your compass. From then on, the compass knows only one point-its ideal. And it will faithfully guide you there through the darkest nights and fiercest storms." From the time we were very young to now, at the end of our high school career, we have all been setting goals for ourselves.

While our compasses often change direction as we change what we want, they have shaped us into who we are today. When we are just starting out in life, our goals are made by our parents. Often the first goals are things like eating solid food, or drinking out of a sippy cup. Later on, they are things like sleeping in your very own “big kid” bed, and finally getting rid of the pacifier. Often, these sort of goals take a lot of work and patience on our parents part (though some individuals, like myself, will take one glance at the carefully crafted Little Mermaid sticker chart my mom made and, much to her mixed feelings of relief and heartbreak, take the pacifier out of my mouth and throw it in the trash can).

As we grow older, we start to make goals for ourselves. Many of these are stereotypical, like learning how to ride a bike. Many more are completely ridiculous, like saving your allowance to buy a pony, or becoming a rock star by the age of 12. My personal favorite, being a page who runs the summer reading program at the library, is the kids who vow to read 1,000 books in the three months of summer. What is important about these goals is not that they are unattainable, though. It is that we are beginning to dream and to see all the possibilities that life has to offer.

High school was a big point in our lives for making goals, and they were still ever changing. When asked by our teachers about our goals, we would often respond “to go to college” or “to have a career,” but, let’s be honest — there were many more things on our minds. Sometimes, the goal was to get a compliment from the cute guy or girl in math class. Often times, it was to be even remotely acknowledged by the cute guy or girl in math class. Some of us aspired to have a lead role in the fall play, to get a leadership position in the marching band, or to be the captain of a sport or club. Other goals we may have had are things like keeping our room clean this month, or, in my case at least, keeping my room clean… today. For all of us who made the mistake of choosing the unfortunate route, it was to never take the middle stairwell to class. Ever.

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That is not to say, however, that all of our goals were superficial or short-term. Senior year was the year most of us truly started thinking about what in the world we wanted to do with the rest of our lives: where we wanted to get a job, or go to college — and if we go to college, the dreaded decision, what major to pursue. For many of us, these goals are still not set in stone, but in time things will all become clearer. At least, I would certainly hope so. Besides our future career choices, we also made plans concerning the people around us, especially our close friends. We make pacts with each other, often in the form of writing in yearbooks, that we’ll visit all the time and never hesitate to give a call. This is the kind of goal that goes on the list of ambitions we truly want to invest in, no matter what trouble they give us.

My challenge to my fellow graduating students is this: add another goal to that list. Don’t worry, it doesn’t involve keeping your room clean or finding a date. In fact, I don’t think it’s very difficult at all. The goal every one of us should have is this: be happy. Whether this means pursuing your dream job, finding your dream house, perhaps finally buying that pony, never hesitate to follow your dreams. Be happy with who you are, what you have accomplished, and the life ahead of you. After all, we have all made it this far. What’s stopping us from going all the way?

A famous psychologist once said, “Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” With your compass set to happiness and achieving your dreams, there is no doubt that your ship (your dreadnaught perhaps?) will be sailing in the right direction. Congratulations, Class of 2012.

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