The end of the school year signals the season of the traditional commencement speech.

Nobody sets out to be cliched and boring. It’s fair to say that most people who are invited to give commencement speeches strive to be clever, wise and memorable in the dispensing of wisdom to the next generation.

Even so, high school and college graduates waiting impatiently to turn their tassels from right to left can be understood for hoping for a brief, lively speech.

I’ve heard a number of commencement speeches, and certain ones stood out and withstood the test of time. Notable speakers reminded graduates of key attributes they could embody and take with them as they transition to the next phase of their life’s journey, and they gave examples of people’s stories to connect their sincere advice to real life lessons.

I have been thinking about the inspiring life lessons imparted by 35 local high school seniors, this year’s STRIVE award recipients, who shared personal stories of how they overcame obstacles to succeed in high school and prepared to succeed in life. (Go to EdFoundationSRQ.org/STRIVE-Awards for columns and videos.)

Venice High School graduate Kaela Coye, for example, epitomizes the power of positivity in accepting what she can’t change (a stutter) and turning an obstacle that literally could have silenced her into an opportunity to connect with and help others.

In particular, I noticed how the attributes embodied by Kaela and other STRIVE award recipients can be condensed into a unified commencement speech showcasing the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and teachable moments that can be valuable to us all at whatever point we are in life’s journey.

These students inspire immense hope in and for our next generation. Some salient tenets pulled from their examples are offered below:

• Think for yourself. Be smart and courageous to stand by your convictions and beliefs, even in the face of adversity. There will come a day when you may be the only person in a group who wants to go left when everyone else goes right. Stand strong. Speak up and follow your instincts.  
• Seize the day. Carpe Diem! Time is a limited resource, so make the most of it. Don’t put off tomorrow what can be done today. Take the time to give a hug, say “I love you,” help a friend. Take action. Run, go, decide, and become the amazing person you know you are.
• Keep the faith. Trust yourself. There will be mountains and valleys, victories and defeats, prosperity and hardship, sickness and health, joy and sadness. Through all of life’s ups and downs, remember you matter and are capable of doing much more than you initially might think you can do. To quote from the movie, “Finding Dory”: “When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming.”
• Fail forward. It’s far more rewarding to try and fail than never to try at all. Personal growth comes best when you are able to learn from your mistakes and have the tenacity to keep at it. Life isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding. When Thomas Edison was asked how it felt to fail 1,000 times before he invented the light bulb, he said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
• Actively listen. We have two ears and only one mouth for a reason. Listen before speaking. A wise person knows how to control his/her tongue, so remember to be slow to speak and slow to anger.
• Have an “attitude of gratitude”. Be thankful for all things, the large and small. Count your blessings, and bless others, too, by paying it forward. The act of giving truly will open your eyes and expand your heart and mind beyond what you can imagine.
• Laugh often. It’s good for your health. Laughing also builds relationships, decreases stress, increases happiness, and gives levity to life. It’s free, fun, and contagious.
• Uphold high values. Integrity, honor, humility, and courage are your life’s armor. Wear them with steadfast commitment. No one can take them from you, and people will remember you for them.
• Reach for the stars. Aim high and go for it! Believe in yourself. Don’t let your potential go untapped. Stretch yourself and you will be amazed at how much you will grow and how far you can reach.
• Remember your encouragers. It could be one person or an organization that helped you get to this important milestone. They believed in you. Remember to thank them. The best way to repay them is to keep giving them a reason to be proud of you.  

All of us at the Education Foundation of Sarasota County send all graduating seniors of the Class of 2021 our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for a future filled with purpose, self-fulfillment, and long-lasting success.

Jennifer Vigne is President and CEO of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. 

Image from Pixabay

There’s an idiom in business that what you measure matters. In philanthropy, there are many measurements – outcomes, lives changed, program results, financial management and years in business. But what is hardest to gauge is the changes made in our hearts and measured gains in our character through sharing our time in ways that create community.

Time has been on my mind as this year marks my 10-year anniversary at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. In the last decade, I’ve had the privilege to shake hands and give a hug (and recently, bump elbows) with a great number of people who have never failed to lend a helping hand. As we cross into the “after” pandemic transition, and welcome many newcomers to our growing area, it seems like the right moment to celebrate the service-based philosophy that guides our area’s generosity and spirit.

The Community Foundation’s commitment to helping our community — one voice, one cause, one person at a time — is cultivated by the visionaries that serve on our Board of Directors, each representing a spectrum of generations and industries, geographies and life experiences that enrich our charitable investments and strategic decision-making. Led by the courageous Nelle Miller, it is from this group of philanthropists, business leaders and community innovators from which our “Be The One” philosophy — that anyone can make a difference, regardless of means — transforms into impact and action.

Our board empowers us to help create the community we all want to live in alongside individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations. This stood resolute even when we were faced with the dual crises that defined the last year. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were positioned to swiftly react and prepare our region for longer-term recovery through a balance of governance decisions that ensured sustainability and encouraged innovation. Our other values of compassion, integrity and inclusiveness have been constant themes in our conversations this year to expand our culture to welcome diversity of people and thoughts through community engagement. The aim of these discussions being — ultimately — making the greatest impact on disparities we can positively affect following a year of dramatic shifts globally and locally.

All these thoughtful discussions were taking place while our board members were figuring out how to pivot their own businesses and lifestyles within the confines of a Zoom screen, in addition to conducting foundation work remotely. The many hours of screen time were counted, but the measurements of how those talks will continue to make a difference in our community are still being tallied.

I share these experiences with you in hopes that you too will recognize the volunteers in our area who intentionally come together to make our lives more meaningful. If you are new to the area like I was a decade ago, I encourage you to seek opportunities to become involved with causes close to your own heart. You can begin your journey to become a volunteer or board member with one of the more than 800 nonprofit organizations with a profile in the Community Foundation’s nonprofit database, The Giving Partner, at www.thegivingpartner.org. And if you’ve already found your calling as a volunteer, I’m sending you a heartfelt thank you for advancing our community, one hour of service at a time.

How and where we give our time is an expression of who we are. Share it thoughtfully.

Roxie Jerde is President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. 

Photo courtesy Community Foundation: Roxie Jerde and Nelle S. Miller

The past year of navigating the pandemic has accelerated many educational trends already gaining speed. One of the most important to the future is blended learning, which combines face-to-face teaching and online instruction. It’s supported by a technology framework that helps teachers organize course content, communication and common workflows. Perhaps most importantly, it builds on the strengths of both approaches — in person and online — ideally offering the flexibility of remote learning with the engagement of face-to-face interactions.

COVID-19 was the catalyst for propelling many types of everyday activities into a solely remote realm. Now as we create a blueprint for the “new normal” of many essential functions like school, adopting a consistent approach to technology-enhanced learning across the entire college or university is critical to addressing the next wave of challenges facing education.

Over the past decade, higher education in North America has been battling a troubling trend -- decreasing enrollment. As a result we’ve seen school closures, leaner budgets and a growing discourse on what steps higher ed should take to turn the tide.

This is where amidst all the stress and uncertainty the pandemic has created some bright spots; it’s created opportunities to support learners in new and evolving ways. There is currently a surge in demand to upskill and reskill adult learners. Over the past 14 months, many have decided or been forced to decide to change career paths. Doing so often doesn’t necessitate obtaining a traditional two- or four-year degree. For many, such programs are simply too resource- or time-intensive.

We must build new avenues for adult learners to cultivate the job and life skills required to shift career paths, and that work is happening now in companies and educational institutions nationwide. There is a lot of discussion on precisely what these varied new approaches will look like to support the new “continuous learner.” What is evident is that blended learning will be a key component. The technology underpinning equips faculty with the tools and support they need to support an ever-changing landscape. A blended course can more easily be adapted to new modalities to serve different types of learners.

One of the most common pieces of feedback edtech developers receive is about a subject we have the least control over, “make my professors use the technology more...make them use it better.” Students want a more consistent user experience between how their teachers use technology. We call that UX in the software world. Having a good UX results in a number of positive outcomes, such as students using feedback channels more often, consistent assignment workflows and leveraging features like to-do lists more frequently and effectively.

Well-respected figures in education like John Spencer have examined how educators can utilize the UX design approach to build more engaging and impactful courses. The basic tenets of UX design aren’t rocket science; they’re principles like: design for your users (not for yourself), provide clear workflows, gather feedback and use data.

Whether they’re taking Algebra 1 or Advanced Multivariable Calculus, it’s a reasonable expectation for students to get a similar experience navigating through their classes online, regardless of if it’s general ed, an upper-division course in their major, or even a fully remote course they’re taking as part of a non-degree certificate program from the same institution. The key here is that institutions must apply this UX design mentality collectively across all courses, programs and departments. Doing so requires prioritizing planning, instructional design support, utilizing “blueprint” courses and offering templates. Perhaps most importantly, we must prioritize the training of and support for less tech-savvy educators to make the switch.  

Data in education is a delicate subject. First and foremost, we must protect students’ right to privacy. At the same time, when used consciously and appropriately, data can greatly improve the quality of education. Striking that balance is both tricky and imperative.

We know from the broader use of technology that blind spots occur when a piece of technology is not adopted consistently across the user base. From those blind spots can emerge false narratives, which then result in an organization's inability to identify issues while they’re still addressable.

While it’s not the primary reason to implement blended learning, one added benefit is that it provides colleges and universities with much-needed, high-quality data to help them better make critical divisions to support their student populations. This data-driven decision making will be essential to help schools address challenges like declining enrollment and shifting student dynamics. Here too consistency matters. If classroom data — the most impactful and timely data we can have on our students — isn’t being collected consistently, we’re left with a woefully incomplete picture of our students.

As we turn our attention to life after COVID-19 and forging a new normal for our students, we have the opportunity to define what comes next. When used consciously and consistently, blended learning has the power to support our nation’s learners and ensure our academic institutions can continue to provide a high-quality education no matter what the future holds.

Ryan Lufkin is Senior Director of Product Marketing for Higher Education Instructure, the makers of Canvas.