Dear Graduating Class of 2020…

By Dominic & Kenda Lawson

Let’s be honest class, the second half of your senior year did not go as planned. A global pandemic disrupted senior festivities like prom and senior trips for those in high school and my college seniors were deprived of that last walk of their college campus as students. No hanging out at the university center and going around shaking the hands of your professors, soon to be colleagues in your many fields of endeavor; however, you didn’t let that deter from the plan. You continued to do the work. You logged in to continue classwork from your kitchen table, your front porch if you wanted a little fresh air, and- let’s be honest- many days you probably never made it out of bed (we were there once, we get it). But you stayed engaged and that’s why we love your generation. During one of the most uncertain times in our planet’s history, you stayed the course and only reaffirmed what we have believed for a long time: you are the next great generation.

Just like the first great generation that battled the Great Depression and fascism during World War II, you stood up and answered the bell. Every. Single. Time. When the unfortunate events in Parkland, FL. unfolded, you answered the call and demanded change around the country, confronting my generation and the generations before about gun control. On the world stage, you have never been shy about…