My Perspective - A big transition year

By Jim Palmer

Every year or so we like to give our readers a little writing assignment. We ask a question and give readers the opportunity to answer the question in the form of a submitted article.

Earlier this spring, we asked readers the following question: “What did you do the summer after graduation?” We had a good response. Submissions can be found in each edition of the Senior Perspective. There are a wide variety of stories in all five editions and there are different stories in each edition. Submissions were put in multiple editions if the writer’s story brought them into two areas (Example: If someone grew up in Albany but moved to Fargo, we would put the article in the Lindbergh and Valley edition).

The question pinpoints a very specific period in people’s life. Many would say this is the most important year in every person’s life. For most, graduation is the end of one chapter... a chapter that is fairly structured and decided... and it is the start of a new chapter of the big unknowns. As you will read, these unknowns often involve work, military, family obligations, economic challenges, new relationships, and new beginnings. For many people, this will be one of the biggest transition years in their life.

Like many of these assignments, the submissions you will read show how much has changed in such a short period of time in our communities, our country, and our world. And they will likely bring back some memories in your own life.

A special thanks to Jillian Kellerman, our associate editor, for spearheading this writing project. We hope you enjoy reading them.

This question also gave me a chance to look back to the summer after graduation in my life.  What did I do the summer I graduated from high school?

I graduated from Stewart High School in 1992, one of 19 graduates. It was a small school in a small town located about an hour’s drive straight west of the Twin Cities. This was the last year of the Stewart School District. It was set to merge with Brownton Schools to form a new school, McLeod West (which later disbanded). Stewart is now a part of the Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart School District. Since it was the last year of the school, the final days of school were a little more emotional for not just the students, but also the teachers, administrators, and support staff. Everyone in the building was moving on to something new/unknown.

I worked the summer after graduation at Kmart in Hutchinson. At the time, Kmart was still sort of in its prime, although you could see things were starting to slip and crumble. Stores like Walmart and Target were gaining some momentum in the country. Walmart came to town in 1992 and Target came about nine years later. Kmart immediately felt the affects of Walmart moving to town. The Hutchinson Kmart made it to 2016 before it closed the doors for good.

I got the job when I was 16. My main territory was sporting goods and automotive, but I also chipped in over in home goods, collecting carts in the parking lot, and working the front register. And I even helped on a few loss prevention situations when they needed me. On occasion, I also drifted over into the jewelry and women’s clothing area, not because I was needed over there, but because I had become fond of a young lady working in that department (shout out to Robin). We dated off and on for a couple of years.

I spent a lot of my summer hanging out with high school friends. Our class was pretty tight knit and nearly all of my friends were going in different directions that fall. I missed them that fall and I still miss many of them today. It was a great class and I look forward to our reunions.

That summer was a time to think about (and worry a little) about the future. When I graduated from high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do “when I grew up.” I knew a few things I liked (writing, creativity, etc.), but I didn’t know how that translated to a career. I had selected Mankato State University (now Minnesota State-Mankato) as my college in the spring and started attending classes that fall. I declared my major as Mass Communication but wasn’t confident it would stick. I took general classes to start and thought I would figure out a career path by the end of it... which I did (that’s a whole nother article that I’ll save for later). I graduated with a degree in Mass Communication four years later.

In a nutshell, the summer after graduation was a time for goodbyes to old friends and introductions to new ones, a new girlfriend, a little work, and the true start of me trying to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be the rest of my life.

Thanks to all who submitted a story. Look for another writing assignment later this year.