NOT SINCE WORLD WAR II has a graduating class left high school into such an uncertain world. Such is the plight of the Class of 2020, most of whom were able to receive their diplomas over the past week amidst the backdrop of an international pandemic, a brutal job market and civil turmoil.
How I wish you were able to achieve the moments that define the final stages of being a senior. Albeit minor on the grand scale of things confronting the world today, prom, Senior Night and other traditional paths toward having your name called can never be given back. For athletes participating in spring sports, the chance to represent your high school one last time at the state track meet, soccer, baseball and softball playoffs were not yours to have, each falling victim to the risks of COVID-19.
Dickinson’s boys’ basketball team will forever be a “what if?” when it comes to whether the Gators could have won the Class 6A title. We will never know if, say Santa Fe’s softball team or Friendswood’s baseball team could have put together the pieces necessary for a postseason run that would have had players juggling the responsibilities that comes with being a student-athlete.
You will not be an asterisk in our eyes. Rather, the way you have handled the unfortunate breaks life handed you offers us inspiration in that this taste of adversity has strengthened you while also molding you toward adulthood. As you well know, life is unfair and will continue to be as you continue becoming the future of this world.
Let’s also salute the parents, guardians and other family members who willingly sacrificed in order to help position you to this moment. Of course, the teachers, coaches, administrators, councilors and spiritual leaders who were also instrumental in each individual who has – or will – have the honor to walk down the aisle for the biggest moment yet in your young lives.
Having recently celebrated 30 years since I graduated from La Marque High School, I offer three pieces of advice:
- Take risks. You will never feel more alive when you break out of your shell and see a completely different view of the world.
- Never do anything that would make your mom cry.
- Most of all, have faith. If you don’t have it yet, He’s only a prayer away.
Congrats to you all and may your dreams become reality.
Brandon C. Williams
La Marque High School, Class of 1990
