A Bright Future - from Somerset Magazine, July 2016

Graduation day is bittersweet for North Star High School’s guidance counselor, Nicki Bowers.  She has watched the class progress from silly middle school students to young adults who take their futures seriously.  She’s not alone; this day has been looked forward to with both joy and trepidation – by teachers, parents, and the graduates themselves.

While Ashley Kelly is looking forward to attending IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), she recognizes that the change will be difficult for her mother.  With tender amusement, she speaks of how difficult it was for Mom to even look at her cap and gown, let alone watch her daughter walk across the stage and, seemingly, out of her life.  Besides her parents, Ashley will miss her Somerset County Community Band family.  Describing her musical pursuits as an outlet for emotions, she begins to list the instruments she plays: the piccolo, flute, French horn, trombone… The list of instruments she doesn’t play is likely shorter.

Though she’ll be staying with her aunt and young cousins, Ashley still finds the thought of being away from home so long a bit daunting.  At times, she wonders if she’ll be able to do it, but Life Skills teacher Catherine Lohr has no doubt that this young woman will accomplish her goals.  Ashley has been friends with and volunteered with people with intellectual disadvantages for almost half her life.  She has been a classroom aide at school and both a Peer Buddy and Junior Counselor at Camp PARC.

Ashley will major in Disability Services with a minor in Speech Pathology and Audiology.  She plans to return to her hometown and hopes to work in schools, a hospital, or with the elderly.

Baylee Kimmel has never considered himself “book smart.”  He is more of a hands-on kind of student and an independent learner.  For almost as long as he can remember, Baylee has worked alongside his father, repairing or rebuilding some form of transportation.  His career interests vary but follow a certain theme: mechanics or, as he puts it, “anything you can take apart and try to fix.”  He has considered becoming a pilot, living off the land in Alaska, or following family tradition to work in the coal mines.  His hopes currently lie in motorcycles and he has plans to someday open a bike shop of his own in one of the southern states where the weather allows riders to enjoy every day.

For now, Baylee is seeking employment and plans to save enough money to put himself through school.  With a sheepish grin, he tells of his parents’ “nagging” to make a decision but, the truth is that Baylee knows exactly what he wants to do: he wants to be able to support a family and become as great a parent as his own.

Dylan Shipley has long known what he wants to do with his life and has laid a path that will surely lead to his success.  He can remember when he was just a child of eight years, watching his mother struggle to improve her cooking skills.  He speaks with admiration of her journey from tasteless meals to delicious cuisine.  Her transformation inspired his career choice and he is well prepared.  Dylan has graduated from both high school and vo-tech, where he studied culinary arts.  He will continue his education at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute studying both Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management.

To pay for his education, Dylan is following in a proud family tradition – he is the 7^th generation to serve our country through military service.  He enlisted, completed basic training before entering his senior year, and now serves as a Food Specialist in the US Army Reserves.  Dylan plans to someday own a four-star restaurant where he will be both chef and manager.

Ask any of these students and they’ll admit this is the day they’ve been waiting for.  The day they leave childhood behind and walk boldly into adulthood.  They will also admit that each is a bit afraid, but they’ll be okay.  Ashley, Baylee, and Dylan have been well prepared by their families and their school.  As they – and the entire class of 2016 – set out to make their way, they have the support and congratulations of us all.

               

Phil Balko is the proprietor of Photography by Balko, a full-service studio specializing in senior portraits, custom wedding, and lifestyle photography.  To see more of his work, visit http://philipbalko.com/.  You may contact Phil at inquiry@philipbalko.com or (814)352-5327.