6-12 Blog: Spread The Word About The Grad In Your Fam!

Being in school has certainly been different for this year's graduating class than when I went to school. During 8th grade in Cuba in 1980, all I had to worry about was whether I had the GPA to move forward into “pre-universitario.” Fortunately, I did. As a senior at Alhambra High School in Southern California in 1984, my focus was principally on learning English. My goal was to get high-enough SAT scores to be admitted to the University of California-Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. Both institutions accepted me. In 1988, I navigated my last year at USC to complete my degree in electrical engineering and find a job that would enable me to start paying off my student loans. After graduation, I became a civil servant when I started my professional career at the California Public Utilities Commission in San Francisco. I met challenges leading to each of those milestones, but they seem quaint compared to those faced by today’s graduates. I admire their resilience tremendously. They have had to pivot and adjust to get to the end of 8th grade, 12th grade or university while the facilities they had attended, their teachers and professors, and their fellow students struggled with the impact of the pandemic. There are very hopeful signs that the situation in our country is improving, but the graduates’ time is now. So, I want to make it a little easier for families to celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of the graduating class. If you have a Grad In Your Fam, reach out to us and ask about the Grad In Your Fam Package. The package discounts announcement cards and yard signs 20%, which you can use to spread the word of your pride in them among your family, friends and neighbors!