Week Twenty-three/Graduation

For Kate's graduation post, it seems appropriate to share her words. This was her Senior speech......

"Find someone who grows flowers in the darkest parts of you,” Zach Bryan.  As I have grown and pushed myself through life’s setbacks, I have often been reminded there are people who will not deserve to be a part of my life. I am grateful the opposite is also true. There are people who have come alongside me in the darkest, quietest moments who have proven to redeem the hard edges of a life lived well. I’m Kate, not Katie. Baughman, not Bowman.

My journey so far in life has not been something I would consider easy. I suffered multiple concussions that left me with an ongoing battle with memory loss. The ability to retain information, conversations and memories is beyond me. Due to this, I have battled extensive anxiety. Social situations and moments like this speech are excruciating. I am grateful for the few close friends and my boyfriend who have pushed me out of my comfort zone to attend some of the typical high school events like football games and Prom. But I would generally do just about anything to avoid putting myself out there, including shaving a full year off my high school experience. Getting out of here has been my goal since the first time I entered the building. 

My highest moment in life is difficult to determine. I led a mostly happy childhood as the fourth daughter in a family of five children. As my sisters grew up and moved out, my role adapted but my favorite so far is my title of “Aunt Kate”. Austin Ryan was named after me and my brother and has been the best addition to my family. We all think we are the president of his fan club. 

I don't see myself in the traditional role of a woman ten years after graduation. I hope to be helping people in the medical field and traveling a lot. I want to see the world and am exploring careers that will afford me opportunities to serve abroad. If marriage happens, I would seriously have to consider the implications on my desire to see the world. Kids don’t feel like something I would choose. However, I have watched my sisters navigate big life choices like marriage, divorce and family so I have enough wisdom to know I can never say never. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank some of the people who have supported me up to this point. Ms. Cox at Georgetown Elementary poured into me as I entered public school for the first time. She loved and nurtured me. I am grateful for her and the investment she made in me. My therapist, Stephanie is hands down the one who deserves the credit for pushing me across this finish line. I literally couldn’t have done it without her. My parents are supportive and encouraging. My dad is my bestie and we laugh at each other’s terrible jokes. This exhausts my mom, which makes it that much more fun. My mom is my person. I can always count on her to be there, to listen and to push me to do hard things. Also, it doesn’t hurt that she loves editing speeches. I also want to thank Miss Collins for making such a large impact on my life. I know I can always count on her.

My dream for the future is to be surrounded by those who deserve to be in my life and to be the kind of person others want to befriend. I have always deliberately kept my circle small. It has served me well but I do hope to expand and stretch myself to better understand the larger world. 

In closing, I will offer you another quote because bonus points never hurt. My mom often says, “the people who say the high school years are the best of your life are either liars or losers.” Her implication is that these years were never designed to be the best of our lives. They are the stepping stones required to move into the future. I hope we have all fulfilled our requirements efficiently and enjoyed the sweet spots when they occurred. But the future starts now and I hope we all live our one beautiful life richly.  

At the last moment, Kate decided not to walk at graduation. Taking a more relaxed approach to the afternoon served us all well since we weren't rushing around to make both the ceremony and prepare for her party. The open house once again reminded me how much I prefer the intimacy of smaller gatherings because I feel pulled too many directions when surrounded by so many. However, it was a beautiful night and we all felt the love for our girl as we hosted. The theme for her party was "She's Ready to Soar" and I believe she will.