We at OG+S are very proud of our administrative assistant, Carter Rickard. He just graduated from high school! We celebrated by making him write a blog post about it. Here is Carter telling us about the closing of one chapter and opening of another in his life’s story. Thanks for reading, Erin.
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Walking across the stage can be intimidating. Making sure that you are not walking too fast, that you stop and wait five seconds so your mom can snap a picture of you, or even stopping yourself from sweating in a hot gym packed with people. But through it all, I just kept telling myself that the day is finally here, graduation! I have been waiting for this day for so long and now it has come and gone. I can now look forward to the next chapter in my life at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.
Yes, Whitewater! About an hour and a half away from home, but somewhere I know I will be close enough to home. With their beautiful campus, great education programs, hundreds of clubs to join, and of course – their Division III athletic program (shout out to the Warhawks baseball team for winning the college world series for the third year in a row!).
Nowadays, everyone I talk to always asks, “What are you going for?” My final answer is Political Science. Many people I know say that political science does not surprise them at all, which reassures me that I am making the right decision about my future. I remember when I told my dad that I wanted to go for political science, and he asked me where I can go with that. I told him that I can do so much with this degree; such as becoming a lobbyist, a political strategist, a diplomat, or a lawyer (after going to law school, of course). Who knows what career I will end up in, but I know that as of now, these are the careers that I could love doing for the rest of my life.
However, there is a lot that I will be leaving back at home. First of all, my friends that I have spent my entire life with and my two dogs, who always let me know when a car is driving by – two streets away. And of course, my family who loves and supports me through everything in life.
If there is one thing that I have learned so far, it is that life is chaotic. You have to work hard and make sure that you never give up. You also have to make sure that you enjoy life and make it your own! Do what you want, when you want, where you want, and with whom you want to do it with.
I believe that my senior quote from Stephen Colbert says it best. “Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what is going to happen next, and you are mostly making it up as you go along.” Although none of us ever will know what the future will look like, we have the power to mold our own future into something that is beautiful. I cannot wait to see what my future holds, and I am so very grateful for OG+S for helping me get to this point.
Carter