HHM lawyer Shawna L. L’Italien delivered the commencement address Sunday at United High School in Hanoverton, sharing three important lessons with today’s graduates of the high school where she graduated:

• Resilience and adaptation are essential
• We can do hard things
• Kindness and community make the world a better place

L’Italien noted that her parents and siblings are also United graduates, as were her daughter and nephew. Younger family members are likely to be United graduates as well.

To make her point about their capacity to overcome challenges, she told the students about the challenges she overcame as a single mother while she was still in high school.

Here are some excerpts from L’Italien’s address:

__________

Graduation from high school marks a passage into adulthood and a time for you to take charge of your own life. 

You get to decide what’s important to you, what career path you want to take, with whom you choose to spend your precious time, and the values by which you will live.  You are in charge of shaping your future. 

That realization can be inspiring but also scary and intimidating.

You, as the Class of 2021, have had the added experience of the COVID 19 pandemic to shape your lives.  You have had to deal with the pandemic related issues your entire senior year.  You didn’t know if your events would happen (and some didn’t).  You lived each day with uncertainty of what the next day may bring. 

The last year and a half have been full of terrible losses for the world around us – loss of life, loss of jobs, loss of financial stability, loss of future plans, loss of time with loved ones, loss of sport seasons and loss of many experiences. 

These experiences have also provided us many important lessons. There are too many to discuss them all today but I want to talk about a few: (1) Resilience and adaptation are essential; (2) We can do hard things; (3) Kindness and community make the world a better place.

Resilience and adaptation are essential

Resilience is defined as “the capacity to recover from difficulties.” Adaptation is defined as “the act of becoming adjusted to new conditions.” I’m sure you can each think of many examples of resilience and adaptation during the last few years.  Those characteristics are always helpful for succeeding in life, but the need has been exaggerated in the recent past and still today. 

Businesses all over the world created new and sometimes better ways to solve problems caused by the pandemic. Schools were at the very top of that list.  Teachers learned how to reach students in ways they never had imagined before.  You, as students, adapted to new ways of learning and contributing to your classes.

The stories are many of the creative people during the pandemic.  I loved the online videos created by John Krasinski called SGN which stood for “Some Good News.” He showcased the resiliency and adaptability of people around the globe dealing with the pandemic. It was motivational and uplifting in a challenging time.  Did any of you watch it? I hope some of you were inspired by it also.

Families spent more time together and took advantage of the opportunities to create memories. 

People stopped to observe surroundings that they had previously rushed past. 

Businesses found ways to continue to service customers yet keep their employees safe. 

We learned to better use technology.  Telemedicine, Zoom and Teams are just a few of the processes that will likely continue long into the future.  I know that Teams use for our three offices is an option we previously underutilized that we will continue to use. 

Resilience and adaptation are getting us through the pandemic. You have used your own resilience and adaptability to move forward.  These characteristics will help you to create a better future for yourself and the world around you.

We can do hard things

That brings me to the second point — We can do hard things!

You, Class of 2021, can do hard things!  You’ve come through the end of your high school years in challenging times. 

As I’ve heard said on a few occasions “history found you.”  Your circumstances are rare and the memories and lessons you’ve learned will follow you the rest of your life.

You battled hard challenges and losses and you didn’t give up. 

It isn’t the circumstances that define you, but your reaction to your circumstances that will define you. 

On a personal note, I was a teenage mother still in high school with plans for seven years of post-high school education and a juris doctorate degree.   At that challenging crossroad my mother said to me “You can still get there; it will just be harder.” That advice and my willingness to accept it (along with the support of many people, some in this room) helped to define who I am today.

I can never thank my mom enough for that very important lesson that I could do hard things. I finished high school as co-valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA, pushed my way through seven years of post-graduation education, graduating from Mount Union with honors and from the Ohio State College of Law as Order of the Coif — 9^th in my class.  

I’m not saying any of this to brag but to emphasize that we can do hard things.

You have all battled through this pandemic and I’m sure many other personal challenges and can also succeed. You can do hard things!

You can use tough circumstances as an excuse or a motivation.  We sometimes feel buried by our own circumstances.  That’s normal. But your reaction to the circumstances will be defining.

One approach that can help is to look at the situation as a seed.  A seed is not meant to be buried but planted in a way that will allow it to grow.  Will you allow yourself to be buried or planted?  You are in control of your situation and can choose to be planted and grow. 

Through the tough challenges of recent times take the time to realize that you now have knowledge that you have been tested and didn’t falter — you kept going. 

We can definitely do hard things!

Kindness and community make the world a better place

Lastly, I just want to take a few moments to emphasize to you all to be kind. I know you’ve heard that so much lately that it’s become cliché, but take it to heart. Be kind. Be helpful.  Be collaborative.  Be a light.

It’s important to be a force of kindness in the world as you take this next step forward. It’s not always easy to be kind. Sometimes, it is work. Many times, you are not recognized for it.  It is still worth the effort.

Surround yourself with positive energy and doers with the same mindset.

Congratulations again to the Class of 2021 and families on all of your accomplishments. 

Be ready to apply your acquired knowledge and experiences to enhance and advance the world we live in.

Be intentional with your choices. 

Be ready to accept all the world has to offer and adapt accordingly. 

Be resilient. 

Remember always, that you can do hard things. 

And never forget to be kind.

Don’t forget where you came from

Finally, don’t forget from where you come — never forget this amazing United community of which I’m so proud to be a part and I hope you are too. 

We are all excited to witness how you shape and create your reality to make us all proud.

As the author Gregory S. Williams said: “On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it.  Raise your sail and begin.”