“Where are they now?” “What are they doing?” “Did they have everything figured out while they were at Richwoods?” These were some of the questions that sometimes popped into my mind when I walked past pictures of Richwoods’ alumni that covered the three white-washed walls of the school’s cafeteria. Each picture was neatly labeled with the student’s name and year of graduation. Judging from the date of their graduation, I guessed most of the students in the photographs would now be around 30 to 60 years old. Some of the photographs were in black and white while others were in color with a faded blue background, indicating the eras when the photos were taken.
As we all know, high school is the period in which many students (including me) are still trying to figure out our paths and are mostly unsure of our future. The more I walked past those photographs, the more I wanted to talk with them about whether they got it all figured out when they came through this building. As a budding journalist in Richwoods’ newspaper club, I thought there would be no better way to find answers to my questions than by actually talking to those alumni about their experiences at Richwoods. By putting their stories in the school newspaper, I could also share them with my fellow students. With a greenlight from Mr. Hayes, the newspaper club’s advisor, to start my own column, I launched the Alumni Spotlight column last September. The water seemed murky at first since it was my first time conducting an interview.
When Mr. Allen Andre, the alumnus from class of 2007 who has served on the city council, agreed for an interview, I was both elated and nervous but soon found the answer I had sought. The first thing I learned from the interview with Mr. Andre was that I did not need to have everything laid out from the start. Mr. Andre’s story revealed how he had taken “the scenic route” and kept trying while being supported by people in the community. Eventually, things fell into place for him. Likewise, l was surprised to learn that Mr. Rick Telander did not plan to be a writer from the beginning either. When his goal to become a professional athlete was slipping away, he quickly used his writing talent to pivot his career in another direction. Mr. Hickman similarly found himself by focusing on what he enjoyed doing, that is, studying math. Maybe “going with the flow” is also okay too.
I was more convinced that trying to plan every minute step toward my future career was not possible when I prepared interview questions for Ms. Nancy Brinker. I read about how she encountered an unexpected tragedy of losing her beloved sister, Mrs. Susan G. Komen, and turned her grief and love into a drive to help others inflicted with breast cancer. Her story reminded me of an old saying that was often credited to Jack London, “Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.” I learned that we cannot always avoid snags coming in the stream of life, but we can steer around them as best we can.
Of course, some of our alumni had it all figured out from the time they were at Richwoods. Dr. Timir Baman had set his goal of entering medical school from the start and worked hard toward it. Representative Ryan Spain knew early on that he wanted to have a career in politics and pursued a degree in political science. Both are successful and enjoy what they are doing.
Scenic route or straight route, I am sure it will take me where I want to be as long as I keep going. I also learned from our Richwoods alumni that while we focus on the route ahead of us, we should not forget to admire the beautiful scenery along the way. For example, Ms. Brinker admires the resilience and the courage of the patients and the families she encountered. She also takes pride in her bipartisan success. Dr. Baman cherishes the cards people sent to thank him for his My Heart Your Heart project. Mr. Telander rejoices in his friendships and the beauty of music he creates with his friends. From talking with our Richwoods alumni and writing stories about their achievements and contributions to society, I feel there is no need to be too apprehensive about the future. What matters more may be to appreciate the time I spend at Richwoods. I enjoy Mr. Baumgardner’s chemistry class and love writing for the school newspaper. Next month, the seniors in my band will graduate, and I know I will miss them a lot. The realization of carpe diem hit home, when Mr. Render, our band director, said, “This is the last high school performance here for some” after our performance at Illinois State University. Determined to enjoy the present moment, I soaked in the fun and the chaos of having a group picture taken with my bandmates. Amid the pushing and pulling along the staircase where we lined up for the photo, someone yelled out, “Everyone, say Richwoods High School Band,” and we all laughed. It was a memorable moment. Looking at the picture of us all dressed in concert black, I cannot foresee where we will be 10 or 20 years from now. But one thing I know for sure, like the alumni I interviewed, we will all remember that “once a Knight, forever a Knight.”
