Congratulations Colton on college graduation

 Somewhere in storage I still have the mortarboard from my college graduation along with most of the white tape I used to write the message “Now what?” on it.

It was 38 years ago when I graduated from Adams State College (now University) and I can still remember the mixed feelings of accomplishment and uncertainty that I felt. I was proud to become the first in my family to earn a four-year college degree. I was relieved to have my formal education behind me. I knew I was getting married in a couple months and moving to Minnesota, where my now ex-wife was living with her parents.

After that, now what? I had no job prospects. I didn’t know how I was going to put the next tank of gas in my car, let alone start a new life in a strange place with my new bride. On top of that, I broke my left hand playing catch with a football the day after graduation.

Those memories and feelings have come pouring back as we anticipate the graduation of our youngest son, Colton, from Texas A&M on May 8. Our four children have moved on; two with bachelor’s degrees and two with trade school certifications.

Graduation is an exciting time of life. It seems like we just held Colton’s high school graduation party not too long ago. In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago. In those four years that he has been an Aggie I have worked for three newspapers, done several temporary and part-time jobs, and we have relocated from Rosenberg to Brazos County.

Colton graduated 10th in his class at Terry High School. We combined his graduation party with his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. For years he had plans to come to A&M to get a degree in aerospace engineering and join the Corps of Cadets. Sandy and I were so proud of him when we left him in College Station to start this next chapter in his life.

We drank the maroon Kool-Aid and lived vicariously through his Corps experience. Then he punched, just three months after starting. The Corps was not for him, and he wanted a different direction in life than that of an engineer. That decision gutted Sandy and me and it took some time to come to grips with it because we had become so invested in his dream and so enamored with A&M and the Corps of Cadets. Colton, however, found immediate relief and changed his major to psychology.

We support his decision, and it turned out to be one of the best things he has done in his 22 years. He fully engaged in Aggies for Christ and other church related activities. He has matured into a man of profound character and faith with a heart for helping others. This summer he will be in Medina working with children at Arms of Hope, a ministry that helps single mothers get back on their feet, while he awaits word on his grad school applications.

Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to talk about Sandy and her heroic efforts to obtain her college degrees while raising our children. She had a nursing certificate when we met. Shortly after we married and blended our families together, she enrolled online at Adams State, earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration. Throughout those years she worked part-time, was busy raising babies and coping with other enormous stresses going on in our lives.

She then went on to earn her master’s degree in healthcare administration at Texas Women’s University while working full-time and parenting teen and pre-teen kiddos. She has since gone on to earn more certifications and has been steadily climbing the ladder at work, just recently earning a huge promotion!

The point of all of this is to say that steadfast determination and a refusal to quit pays big dividends. That would be my advice to Colton and his fellow graduates at Texas A&M as they move on after graduation. Success is a road paved with failures.

Stay true to yourself and to God and don’t let the naysayers have their way. No one can stop you except for yourself. You aren’t defeated until you quit. You will have to take some detours and suffer some setbacks in life but as long as you keep pursuing your dream you will succeed. Someday you will go from “Now what?” to “What’s next!”