He’s probably the most beloved member of the class of 2009. And rather than celebrate with the toss of a cap, he tweeted.

“I’m happy to announce I have graduated! Class of ’09! Congrats to everyone else who has also graduated this year! -Mr. President (Nick).”

Nick might also be one of the youngest members of this year’s graduating class. He’s just 16, also making him the youngest member of his band, the Jonas Brothers, in which he sings alongside older brothers Kevin and Joe. Read the rest of this entry »

The Class of 2009 knows that finding a job in this market will be a difficult task. They have been watching the job market disintegrate since the U.S. entered the recession.

According to a new study by the National Association of College and Employers, fewer than one in five graduates who are looking for jobs have found one; employers are planning to hire 22 percent fewer graduates than they did in 2008. This is very discouraging news, and explains in part why fewer students are actively seeking jobs. This time last year, 67 percent of college grads had begun looking for a job. This year, only 59 percent have even begun looking.

“Whether they’ve decided to delay their careers because of the economy or don’t realize how tough the job market is, fewer grads have started job hunting,” said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager at NACE. Read the rest of this entry »

After a week of no school and having some time to catch up on lost sleep and lost time with friends, graduation is tomorrow! It’s weird to think that after four years of high school, the class of 2009 will finally be moving on to a new part in their lives.

Looking back to my freshman year, it’s funny yet great how much I’ve grown and learned over the past four years. Although, I heard that in the first six months of college you change more than you did all through high school. That makes for a rather interesting concept to think about. While tomorrow will be one of the most exciting times and something I will always remember, it also marks a passing. A passing into a new part of my life that will hold even more surprises and experiences than before. While some experiences may be bad, all of them will be learning experiences and something can be taken from anything you experience. Read the rest of this entry »

After school is out, and graduation approaches, the main event that begins to take up a lot of time are the grad parties. Attending grad parties, in my opinion, are important to attend. Although there may be a number of them and you may be attempting to squeeze many into one day, I think making as many as you can should be a priority.

Yesterday a friend and myself managed to make one recital and then made it to five grad parties. Although the amount of driving may be ridiculous and you may not get to spend much time at each party, people appreciate it even when you take time to stop by and even just say hello and talk for a couple of minutes. Read the rest of this entry »

In stadiums and auditoriums across the country, graduates are joining for the pomp and circumstance that grants them their hard-earned degrees.

President Obama at the Naval Academy commencement. via Chicago Tribune

Much like the hours spent in lecture halls, graduates must wait through just a couple more speeches before their caps are tossed to the air and their diplomas rightly earned. Every graduation has a guest speaker, some more memorable than others. For the class of 2009 at many notable colleges and universities, these famous commencement speakers are certain to be a memorable closing to their college careers.

President Barack Obama
The President spoke at Notre Dame, U.S. Naval Academy, and Arizona State University, where he implored the graduates to see our troubled economy as an opportunity, not a hurdle. “I know starting your career in troubled times is a challenge. But it is also a privilege. Because it is moments like these that force us to try harder, dig deeper, to discover gifts we never knew we had – to find the greatness that lies within each of us.”

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I woke up Tuesday morning, knowing that it was a particularly exciting day. Not only because I was IB test free that day, but also because it was senior’s last day! I put on my white (but not all white! all white wouldn’t work well with me….) dress and blue cardigan and headed to school.

That day was probably my favorite day throughout all of high school. We took pictures, said goodbye to teachers and younger students, and gave a few speeches about what is to come. My English teacher, Mr. Maack, wrote us a poem and read it aloud to us. It made the analogy of us, the students, being tigers who had dealt with the rules and regulations of our ring master (teachers, parents, authority figures) and this time marked a new beginning for us. Read the rest of this entry »

This Sunday, all the IB seniors at East High had IB Senior recognition. This was where we received our IB stoles and a few other small gifts for being a senior in the IB program. Our administrator spoke and said a few things that really hit home for a lot of the seniors. The fact that there are a number of aptitudes that describe IB students, such as reflective and open-minded, is entirely true. I don’t know if I can say that IB has taught me these things, but the program has definitely helped me to realize the importance of such aptitudes.

Although the ceremony was nothing extravagant, it was nice to be recognized for all the hard work we as IB students have put in over the last four years of our life. Many students think it;s funny when I say I write a 4,000 word essay for a key chain and want to graduate from the IB program simply to get the stole we get to wear at graduation. Getting such things in a sense push me on because it’s a tangible reminder of all the hard work I have put into the program and what good can come of pushing yourself in such a way. Read the rest of this entry »

With my senior year drawing closer and closer to its close, and college enrollment beginning, it’s interesting to think about where I will be this time next year. Obviously, down in good old Tulsa, Oklahoma, but how much of me will have changed by then? I remember talking to a parent of a friend recently about majoring options and college and they commented on how in the first six months of college you will experience more change than you experienced in all four years of high school.

This little bit of information was actually a scary thought for me. I will know how to do my own laundry and how to iron by the time school starts, but do I want to change? The key to happiness, in my opinion, is being happy with who you are and knowing you are. In the past four years, I have learned plenty about myself and who I am and I am unsure about this whole changing thing. But thinking about it, maybe there still are some changes that need to be made! Read the rest of this entry »

While my final college decision didn’t have to be mailed and received by a college till May 1, I figured the smartest thing to do would be to make my decision fast. I put in the mail my intent to enroll form with my housing form and deposits for the University of Tulsa this last weekend and I can’t remember the last time I felt this good about a decision and so relieved.

The reason that I decided to make my decision earlier was to get my finances in order. After figuring out everything I had received financially from Tulsa and other various scholarships, such as a $3,000 scholarship through scouts, I then started finding student loans. Of course, this was not too difficult considering I went to Google and typed in “student loans” and got a huge number of sites offering student loans. After looking at a few options, I finally found a loan and finished my application last night for the loan. Read the rest of this entry »

I was looking at my calendar today, trying to figure out a study schedule for my IB tests and realized, for the Senior class of 2009, there is exactly one month of school left until our last day. I cannot believe that my high school career will be over in only a month. During freshman year, it seemed like four years was such a long time, but looking back I realize those four years flew by in one big blur and have seemed to slow down in the last couple of weeks.

Realizing that there is only a month left, also makes me realize how much more there is to finish not only in the month, but within the next couple of weeks because of IB testing. In two weeks, I will be sitting down to take IB HL World Literature Exam, which will kick start the long month ahead for all IB kids. Read the rest of this entry »