To: The Graduation Committee of Noah Rooze

From: Noah Rooze

RE: Post High School Plans

There has never been a moment where I don’t know what I want to do in the future. Granted, that idea of the future has changed many times over the course of my life and likely it will sometime change again. When I thought about a career when I was younger, my mind wandered from being a firefighter to a horticultural engineer, back to firefighter, then on to architect and so on. Being naïve at that age, I always thought I’d have my life figured out by now. I was wrong; I think I’m less settled on an idea than I have ever been, especially less than little 5-year-old Noah who was unearthing “dinosaur bones” in the side yard garden. But I can feel it, I still have an idea. I want to be a US Diplomat in China.

I’m going to take a weird path to get there though, if I get there at all: I’d have to pass the Foreign Service Officer Exam, rise through the ranks, be appointed by the President and be confirmed by Congress. We all know what kind of crapshoot that is these days what with the Supreme Court Appointee debacle. That’s not to mention at least a Master’s degree in International Relations or some degree of that sort from a good university, practicing my Chinese (which is okay, but certainly not diplomatic) and passing high profile background checks. You naturally would think that I would like to get started on that right away and I probably should; as I said, I’m taking a weird path to get there.

I’m probably going to end up studying Computer Science for undergraduates. That’s after I finish my general credits at a community college and transfer somewhere to a bigger university. Studying at a community college wasn’t really my first choice, but who can refuse the free credits? Also, who can refuse what you parents have decided they will help pay for… At least this way I have more money left over for a Master’s.

No harm no foul when people say they’re going to travel the world after college, but I find that the minute you get handed your degree, you’ve got to have it all lined up. I’m sorry, but you won’t end up traveling the world if you just sit and dream about doing it. I make plans, and yes sometimes even the best of plans do fail, but failing to plan is planning to fail. I’m going to travel the world: Teach English in Korea, study abroad in France, traverse the Alps, be belly bumped by a Sumo Wrestler in Japan, the whole lot. See? I’m specific. Riding into the sunset is so cliché, I intend to waltz. Maybe waltz on top of a bright pink tank, damsel in my arms. Yes, that sounds nice.

Whatever I do with my life, I hope to do it with fervor and intent.