Congratulations Class of 2021!
Class of 2021, I salute you. Even in the best of times, we know that getting to and through college is a journey that can be filled with multiple highs and lows, starts and stops, triumphs and struggles. You already had so much on your plate. But then 2020 dealt another blowwith COVID-19. And suddenly, that final home stretch to get the degree became infinitely harder. Yet here you are, Graduate. You persevered and found a way to fulfill your goals, in spite of the many hurdles that the pandemic created. That takes a different kind of resolve and stick-to-itiveness that, while hard-earned and maybe attained at high cost, will serve you well in the face of future adversity. So I, and all of us here at Inceptia, salute you and your grit. We also want to prepare you for what’s next, especially as it pertains to student loans. That’s the inspiration behind this compilation, our Great Advice for Grads. Since 2014, Inceptia has, as part of our nonprofit mission, created Great Advice for Grads as a tool you can take with you to build your financial capability. This year’s guide also branches out to include COVID-specific issues, like interviewing from home, or money lessons learned from previous financial hardships. I always try to leave grads with a positive thought. Yet I know each of us has faced some kind of loss over the past year – loss of connection, loss of jobs, loss of homes, or loss of friends or loved ones. So without discounting those losses, I offer this: Excelsior. One of the movies I find myself going back to again and again is Silver Linings Playbook, in which the main character struggles to find a new path after the collapse of his marriage, and a mental health diagnosis. He adopts “Excelsior” as his personal mantra, saying it aloud whenever he needs to center himself and find the silver lining in his circumstances. It’s meaning? “Ever upward.” Whatever the challenge, keep moving ever upward. Congratulations again and Excelsior, Class of 2021! May you always find the silver linings.
Carissa Uhlman Vice President of Student Success Inceptia
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