Off to see the world
And maybe come home afterward
Staff writer
Commencement season begins this weekend with Marion’s graduation and Peabody-Burns’ at 4 p.m. Saturday. The annual rite of passage will continue next weekend at 4 p.m. May 16 at Goessel, and Hillsboro and at 2 p.m. May 17 at Centre.
At a time when national polls show most Americans question the value of a college education, dozens of Marion County’s traditional students will head out to community colleges and state universities. One, Centre’s Anna Godinez Vinduska, will even head to MIT.
Not every student was available, but to preview commencement, the Record sat down with 10 of the county’s top college-bound students, as identified by their schools, to hear their stories of academic challenges and triumphs and their efforts to reconcile rural tradition with professional ambition.
Most were sad to say goodbyes and buoyant to launch the next chapter in their lives. But all talked less about escaping small-town confines than about finding ways to make their futures possible back here in Marion County.
Here are their stories: