To all the new high school graduates:

Congratulations! You finally made it! You've worked hard to make it here and are now entering true adulthood. Some of you will be going away to college in the fall, some of you will go to work straight away, and some will take a gap year or two to travel and mature before deciding what to do with your lives. All of these are perfectly good options— as long as you are doing what you love!

To those of you going to work after graduation, it's time to work hard! High school has given you the necessary knowledge to go into the workforce, so get in there and work your ass off! Make sure you are doing something you love because if you love your work, you never work a day in your life! Put your mind to it and put your grind to it, and you'll be successful no matter what you do!

To the grads who are taking a gap year to travel and grow, enjoy the time you take to find out who you truly are! Travel is the best way to test yourself and find out where you excel and what you need to work at. You will also learn about new people, cultures, foods, and languages if you're traveling abroad, which is another great way to broaden your horizons and help you discover what it is you want to do once you go to college (if you decide to go to college).

And to those who are headed to college in the fall, get ready, because you're about to enter a world like no other, and start the best four years of your life! Now, I may be a bit biased because I go to the best school ever, (Go Nittany Lions!) but for everyone I have ever spoken to, college has been the most enjoyable time in their lives. It will be where you make friends that last a lifetime, take classes where you will learn how to work in the field you plan to enter once you graduate, and make connections that will get you jobs and internships in those fields.

Finally, to all the graduates reading, enjoy this summer. Enjoy it like it's your last summer ever. Travel, spend time with your friends, go to concerts and festivals, see new things, and take hundreds of photographs. Don't get too lazy, even though it's so easy to when you finally have no responsibilities!