Congratulations to the Class of 2026. We spent Friday reflecting on the year, and writing a few thank you note. As their Facilitator, I wanted to leave them with a few more thoughts. I’ll share below!
Today, we gathered at Plummer Park for a final day of team bonding and hanging out. They played some great pickleball, leaned into coaching from another player, spent time laughing and enjoying one more day! We gathered and wrote a few notes on their name cards that they used all year. Decision day tshirts and hoodies as they head into their next adventure. A special group❤️ here’s a few last thoughts for this class!
26 Things I want you to know…
1. Embrace every single moment of the next few weeks. And be nice to you lr parents. They are both happy and sad too.
2. Find that one quiet, shy person in your school and tell them they’re amazing. And … don’t be afraid to smile. You never know who needs that smile.
3. Wake up every day with gratitude. Make it a practice, even when challenges are in front of you.
4. Find your people.
5. Saving is cool. You will thank yourself later.
6. It doesn’t matter where you come from right now. It doesn’t matter if your family has a lot of money. If you have no money. You get to determine how hard you work and what you’re passionate about.
7. Let your kids play the sports one day. It goes fast and it’s always worth it.
8. Define standards for you now. What’s acceptable. What’s not acceptable when it comes to your personal relationships.
9. Wealth is not always defined by money.
10. Be spontaneous sometimes. Just go do it because it’s fun.
11. If you get pulled over, be kind, be respectful and own what you’ve done. Most of the time, you get out of that ticket.
12. You literally can do anything. You have to believe it here (in your heart) first. You can learn any skill. The world is wide open for you.
13. Find the place that grounds you. For me, it’s my core Christian faith, friends and it’s my church community.
14. If you’re gonna have a lot of carbs, make sure they’re good ones.
15. I think leather seats in your car and a leather couch when you’re raising kids is one of the best investments you’ll ever make.
16. Celebrate every single birthday. You are worth celebrating.
17. Don’t be afraid to say yes to a challenge.
18. When you don’t believe in yourself, you find the people who do believe in you and you go spend time with them.
19. Politics are important. Lean into and discover why you believe what you believe. Ask questions. Stand on what you believe without putting others down.
20. Grace is huge. Asking questions before judgment tends to serve you better.
21. Find your passion and chase that… and the money will follow.
22. Be authentically you. And it’s definitely OK to be a free spirit. Just don’t be disrespectful.
23. A filet - medium rare at a top-notch steakhouse - is always worth the bill.
24. Be kind to yourself when you mess up. When you fail, get back up. Evaluate, adjust and keep going.
25. When life doesn’t go as planned, it’s really OK. Sometimes those moments have to happen. Sometimes the pain has to happen and yet beauty can come from that. Every time, you just have to do your own heart check.
26. Catch the vision. Realize the dream.
Much love to the Class of 2026 -
Lisa, Gateway CEO Facilitator
