Free Advice

By TAD BARTIMUS

Like many seniors graduating this year, Anna Lieding, valedictorian of her 20-member Hana, Hawaii, high school class, is a jumble of mixed emotions: "I feel happy; I'm going on to a new chapter in my life. I also feel sad; I'll be leaving friends I've been with almost every day of my life. I feel anxious; I'll be leaving my family and my home. I want to experience college, but I am nervous and scared."

When Lieding arrives at Brown University next August to begin her higher education (on full scholarship), senior Elena Lesley will be there to welcome her with free advice and a helping hand.

"My generation is over-scheduled and hyper-competitive," says Elena, editor-in-chief of the Brown Daily Herald. "Prodded on by the ambitions of many baby-boomer parents, we find ourselves driven to attend the best summer camps, win the most awards and snag a spot at a good college."

When Elena's mom graduated from high school, she took off to Colorado with a band of mimes and puppeteers. After college, her dad long-shored in Ketchikan, Alaska, before becoming a teacher.

"We just don't hear many stories like this today," marvels Elena. She advises Anna and her peers not to plan too much. "Adopt a strategy of ambition, focus, but also flexibility. After three years of college, I've learned to leave the larger twists of life up to chance."

Elena started out to be a psychological profiler in law enforcement, but a scheduling mix-up landed her in a beginning journalism class.

"Despite my lack of any experience in the field, I quickly picked up journalistic writing and have decided I want to pursue a career as a reporter," says the 20-year-old, who is interning this summer at The Oregonian in Portland. "I had no idea of this my freshman year."

Elena understands that her generation faces a tough college admissions pool and an even tougher job market after graduation, but believes "this doesn't mean we should lock ourselves into blindly pursuing any one particular track or become so focused on our goals that we pass up unexpected opportunities."

Hear! Hear! When I recently delivered a college commencement speech, I winced while reflecting on my own resume: war correspondent, newspaper columnist, rock 'n' roll singer, college professor, corporate entrepreneur, radio commentator, newspaper columnist, Internet commentator and herb gardener. My serpentine career path makes me sound like a flake who can't hold a job. But would I have traded any of my experiences for 30 years in the same office? No way!

Elena also urges Anna and her peers to keep their options open and their schedules loose, especially in college "when we're surrounded by a wealth of opportunities that we may never encounter again. Take a seminar in film theory if it grabs you. Join the dance troupe or curling team. As a high school senior you may be convinced that you should become an investment banker. And maybe you will. Or maybe you'll develop a love for computer animation."

My inclination is to say yes: Yes, I'd like to be in a rock 'n' roll band; Yes, I'll take a job in Alaska; Yes, I'll marry you. We don't make mistakes; we have learning experiences. This is what Anna and the class of 2003 can look forward to, and what the rest of us need to remember when life doesn't go the way we've planned it.

© 2003 The Women Syndicate

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