IUPUI held its commencement last Saturday, May 13. And I was one of thousands of parents in the stands of the Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium watching their child graduate.
You’ve probably heard the saying that the days are long, but the years are short when raising a child. I haven’t spoken with any parent who disagrees with this. It truly felt like Jonathon and I attended IUPUI’s orientation just a year ago.
I remember thinking, “Can we do this? Will Jonathon be able to handle the pressures of college? Will we be able to successfully tackle the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form every year?”
And my biggest worry … was Jonathon going to have to go into student debt for all of it? I knew how that can hurt so many young people just starting out as working adults in life.
In answer to my first question, yes, we could do it. The IUPUI calendar hung in our kitchen for four years, guiding us on important dates. I put various payments into our budget. We figured out parking and other details.
Jonathon went down to just two days a week at Pizza Hut to leave room for studying. He did much better his freshman year (heck, all four years) than his mama did back in the day. And the yearly FAFSA form wasn’t scary at all. My experience as a grant professional came in handy. It was just another application.
Our columnist’s oldest son, Jonathon Shankland, graduated from IUPUI last Saturday. (Photo provided by Amy Shankland)
Thanks to scholarships, paying off our house a few years ago, a client of mine who likes to pay me one time a year for an entire year’s worth of work, and some money from my inheritance, Jonathon graduated with zero debt. I had read Debt-Free U by Zac Bissonnette years ago, and with that guidance, we avoided student loans.
My jaw dropped a couple of weeks ago when my husband John and I realized Jonathon was going to gradate magna cum laude as well. Once again, he did MUCH better than I did in college. But he’s the type of guy who doesn’t like to mention that sort of thing to anyone. John and I have no trouble telling people that, however.
Now he’s working on polishing his resume thanks to a certain relative with a degree in Journalism and English who writes various things practically every day. (Yes, that’s me.) I’m not worried about his future. He may have to work somewhere temporarily until he finds a job in his field, but Jonathon’s talent and determination will get him the perfect position.
Even though he won’t be thrilled I’m putting this story in the newspaper – and I did warn him about it – I just have to congratulate him and so many other graduates this spring. Way to go, young people! I look forward to seeing how you all transform the world.