Ready to Write Life’s Next Chapter

For months before it actually happened, I lay awake at night wondering about the graduation. Who would be there? Would I trip going up onto the stage?

How am I supposed to get my hat back when I throw it up in the air along with hundreds of others just like it? Would people like me? Would I forget my ID at the airport and never get home?

To answer it all simply, graduation was everything I could have hoped for.

There was the Seton Family Fest picnic and then Mass at Christendom College. At Seton, we explored where all our tortures were devised. The graduation ceremony at Warren County High School was perhaps the most exciting part, and the speeches were highly enjoyable.

The dance was so much fun, though I asked the DJ to play “Never Gonna Give You Up,” I don’t think he did. I’ve never shaken so many hands and seen so many new faces in one weekend (I bet Deacon Gene McGuirk can agree!).

Catholic Harbor Friends

But my favorite part was seeing people from Catholic Harbor and knowing that hundreds of my brothers and sisters in Christ surrounded me. Though I had never met anyone there or spoken with them face-to-face before (with a few exceptions), I knew I belonged.

We were made alike before we even met by shared knowledge and faith. I knew that if I spoke of Christ, history, science, ancient philosophers, or anything I had learned about in my four years at Seton, 90% of the people in that building could sympathize and agree. “I know, right? I enjoyed that course too–except for the tests!”

Walking on Common Ground

We’d walked on common ground long before we’d walked the same stage. It was pretty thrilling.

I’m not a very confident person by nature, but looking at what I know now and everything that has encouraged me so far, I feel prepared for adult life. There is much I don’t know yet, of course, but Seton has taught me many lessons on how to teach myself and the need for self-discipline. Big nod to Catholic Harbor for that last one!

Knowing how to learn is an important tool for a happier and easier life. You’ll have more to learn after school, and it helps to know how to learn in more ways than one. To be successful with Seton, I had to adapt and improvise my schedule to make it work out. I think it’s a great life skill.

Not only that, but Seton has taught me so much that I wouldn’t want to go without knowing! History, biology, math, and literature are all invaluable things to know, but above these, I loved the religion courses. All of them.

My parents were my catechists before Seton, so I already knew a respectable amount, but it was refreshing to learn more about my Faith and the reasons why I believe. Even if I remembered nothing from Seton but what I learned in its religion courses, I’d still be glad to have done it.

If we are truly on this earth to know, love, and serve God, wouldn’t religion be the most important thing down here?

Thankful for the Opportunity

Yet, the fact remains that everything I am and have, I owe to God and my parents. Of course, there are other people in my life, but it’s safe to say I never would have met them if my mom and dad hadn’t given me the opportunity.

My Seton experience is due to their sacrificial love and wisdom, and as I thank Seton Home Study School for its gifts, I couldn’t go without recognizing them.

Photo Credit: The Fisher Family

About Maria Cronk

Maria Cronk is a 2024 Seton Home Study School graduate. She was raised in Deming, Washington along with her eight siblings. Since April, she has been the Administrator of Seton Writers Club, a student-run forum for young Catholic writers. She greatly enjoys reading, writing, art, and music. Maria is discerning the call to religious life with the Benedictines of Our Lady Of The Rock.