The talented class of 2017

Perhaps there is something in the water (not that there's been much rain around here lately), but it seems like my seniors are panicking a little earlier than usual this year.  Maybe it is because they are at the end of their college applications. Then again, maybe it's because once they hit the last 'submit' button, all they can do is wait while some strangers in a faraway room pass judgment on them (that's the way they see it anyway).  But if I had a nickel for every time one of them said "there's nothing special about me," I would be quite rich.

I wish they could see what I see, because the GPS Class of 2017 is an amazing group of young women.  One of them is raising money to fund arts programs in local elementary schools. Gentle and soft-spoken, another has volunteered at the Creative Discovery Museum and is one of the most loved summer camp counselors we have.  Still another has a love of plants that is second only to her love for cats, and you can frequently find her in her very own green room, tending to her plants, many of which she started from tiny seeds.  Along with a few of her peers, one senior helped build the computer that now runs our 3-D printer, and another has passed her wilderness first aid safety course.

The senior with the purple hair has never met an animal she didn't love and currently owns a chinchilla, a hedgehog, two turtles, several fish, five dogs, two horses, eight geese, a guinea fowl and several chickens. Past pets have included cats, hamsters, mice and hermit crabs.

Some members of the class of 2017 are on-stage stars and back stage tech wizards, while others are accomplished equestrians and violinists.  They are all-state soccer players and champion cross-country teammates.  At least one is teaching herself Korean, while another has written and produced her own civil rights documentary.  One manages the GPS bookstore, one is a Sea Cadet and has her advanced scuba and PADI certification.

As a group they are leaders and followers, community activists, and dedicated volunteers.  They have dealt with significant injuries and personal loss and bounced back up again.  This beautiful group of souls has raised money for cancer research, grown thousands of pounds of food for the Chattanooga Food Bank, and supported their classmates in small ways I will never know.

There is nothing mediocre about them. Any of them.

As an adult, I know that one college decision is not going to make or break them.  If they will be open to the possibilities, there are hundreds of roads that can take them where they want to go.  Once the panic has subsided and the decisions have been made, I hope they will see what I see.  The Class of 2017 is simply amazing.