Graduation Gifts: Do We Really Deserve Them?

As a graduate of the class of 2007, I would be lying if I said I didn't like all of the things I've gotten as a reward for making it through my high school years. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy getting checks in the mail from family members, or gifts from family friends. I would be lying if the beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on my dinning room table didn't make me smile every time I passed them.

However, I don't think that I deserve them. I have a hard time believing that I should be rewarded for doing what I'm supposed to do. After all, shouldn't my education be a reward in itself? Thanks to my high school diploma, I will have an easier time getting a job than I did before I was a graduate. That in itself makes me more valuable to employers. Shouldn't that be a reward in itself?

I, fortunately, never had to overcome any real hardships in my life. My parents were incredibly supportive of everything I did. I obeyed the law by staying in school until I reached the age of 16, and I stayed for the remainder of the time for a million reasons (I liked school, I enjoyed learning, I needed to graduate in order to go to college, I want to be able to make money, etc.). So why am I getting money in the mail? I'm not complaining, but it just doesn't make sense.

The people who deserve money for graduating are most likely the people who aren't going to receive any. I'm talking about the kids who lived in lower class, single parent homes, who had to juggle school, work, and babysitting a sibling, just so their family could make it. I'm talking about foster children, who bounced from family to family, school to school, and still managed to get a diploma. I'm talking about the kids who grew up with abusive families, but persevered and were able to walk across a stage in cap and gown. All of these kids could have easily dropped out of high school, but they overcame their hardships in hopes of a better future. These aren't the spoiled kids who would have gotten a new car for their sixteenth birthday even if they were almost flunking out of school - these are the kids who have dreams and the ability to make those dreams come true.

As a graduate of the class of 2007, I can only hope that the people who really deserve cards and checks and balloons and other graduation presents can get them. Because as much as I love getting a check in the mail, I don't believe that I deserve it. I did what I was supposed to do, and had no problem doing it. The kids who should be getting them could have easily dropped out, turned to drugs or prostitution, and entered into a dangerous cycle. The kids who truly deserve graduation presents are the kids who will be able to change the world.