Washington High School alumni return to share advice and life experiences

WASHINGTON - Over 20 alumni of Washington High School returned to their alma mater to speak at the Multigenerational Graduate Assembly on Friday, Dec. 20. While upperclassmen listened to the advice of more recent graduates, lower classmen had an opportunity to hear the journeys of former students who graduated in 2017 or earlier.

According to principal Eric Buchholz, the event has been going on for at least 10 years. Buchholz explained that he felt it was important to provide students another perspective on why it is important to work hard in high school.

'I started off with the idea that I give [students] advice on how to be successful after high school and what [they] need high school for but sometimes [they] may look at me as the principal and think, ‘well, you're supposed to say that.' So I bring the alumni in so the students can hear it right from people who have graduated and have lived it and been there,” Buchholz said.

During the assembly, alumni spoke on what they were currently doing, detailing the steps they took to get where they are as well as reflected on things they would have done differently in school and fielded questions from students.

Many of the more recent graduates reminded current students to learn how to study in high school to avoid a steep learning curve when starting their university experience. Many of the alumni who are currently in college also encouraged students to look into scholarships and start applying early to combat having to get loans and being saddled with debt.

Brennan Horak, a 2018 graduate who attends Creighton University and majors in financial analysis and business encouraged students to get out of their comfort zone.

'My advice is start being comfortable with being uncomfortable now in high school. Take risks. When college hits, you're going to be experiencing a whole slew of different situations,” Horak said.

Horak also encouraged students to choose which college they want to attend carefully.

'When you're making your college decision, it's important to keep in touch with your best friends and whatnot but I think you make some of your best friends of your life in college and taking that first big step to go somewhere else from where your high school friends went or maybe your parents went, that's just something to consider. It's not the same situation for everybody but it's something that helped me out in taking chances,” he said.

'Most of the time, it's on you if you miss a deadline. It doesn't hurt to shoot your professor an email and visit them during office hours, introducing yourself after that first class, getting on their good side,” Horak added later when asked about the importance of meeting deadlines.

Eleventh grader Hannah Tedrow noted that getting specifics on the workload of college courses was helpful to hear about in order to help herself prepare for the future.

'The most useful thing was hearing the advice on how they take notes and the time management … getting an overall view on how college is going to affect me and how to take into consideration what I'm learning here to apply it to college,” Tedrow said.

Teri Hartzler, who currently works as the branch and fitness director at the YMCA of Washington, was in the group of alumni speaking to underclassmen. When asked what advice she would give to the high schoolers, she reminded students that most people do not take a linear path to or in their careers and encouraged students to develop a good work ethic. Hartzler, who went to college to become a florist, explained that she had no idea she would end up in fitness and health.

'You just never know so don't feel like when you go off to college that this is what you're going to do for the rest of your life because, more than likely, it's not. It's just the beginning of something else. From my perspective, to give you advice as an employer would be to have an excellent work ethic … that's one thing I look for. If you put the work in, you show up, you have a great attitude - that's what is going to get you somewhere in life,” Hartzler said.

Speaking on why she felt it was important to speak at the assembly, Hartzler explained that she wishes she had an opportunity to get the perspective of alumni when she was in high school.

'I was just saying I wish that we had [people come back] when I was in high school. I think it's really good to get the perspective of people that have been out in the workforce and have some experience. I think it's just beneficial to share what we've been through and things that we've accomplished and what got us here,” the alumna said.