Karen and Jay discuss the meaning and importance of graduations as we celebrate the many graduates during this special season of the year. |
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This is the time of year when we celebrate graduations. We honor the years of hard work and sacrifice as well as the milestone achieved. We also celebrate new beginnings – adventures and goals on the next horizon. And, we do this because it is in our nature. We each have a ‘quest for growth.’ A human desire for personal development, to take the next step and to fulfill our full potential.
So, as we experience the months of May and June, we welcome graduation season, a moment where we celebrate the educational achievements of those we love. Whether it be a son or a daughter, wife or husband, or even a friend, sharing this incredibly special moment with the ones we love not only creates fond memories, but acknowledges their continued growth as individuals. This year, graduation season has a particularly distinctive feel to it. After the disruptions caused by the pandemic, many schools have been able to once again bring back their commencement ceremonies and give students at all levels across the country the praise they deserve for successfully completing their studies. A welcome celebration of the next chapter.
As we celebrate with them, graduation is symbolic in many ways of how we move through life. We’ve discussed at times the concept of “enjoying the process” and “winning the day” here in the Sunshine Report, and graduation season reminds us that life is part of a process, a process where we grow, and learn, and then graduate to new chapters of our life. Though often associated with school, the concept of graduating doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to a degree, it can also be tied to events in our lives or things we’ve worked to achieve. It could be ending a relationship that was no longer fulfilling and eventually starting a new one, leaving a job you loved for a new one, moving to a new city in search of new opportunities. Throughout life, we graduate many times, but we tend not to perceive it that way. If you think about it though, the idea of ‘graduating’ tends to imply a positive moment in our lives. And if we frame our lives to look at important life events, even those that may initially cause us pain or hurt, in this same way, we can grow positively, and graduate, there’s that word again, into a new chapter of our lives and ideally, into a better version of ourselves.
The author Louisa-May Alcott, best known for her novel, ‘Little Women,’ once said, “Life is my college. May I graduate well and earn some honors!” It’s a great quote, a powerful one at that, which reinforces the idea that life itself is a series of lessons, each one, happy or sad, that we can learn from, graduate from, and grow from. So, whether you’re on your way to earning a degree, graduating this spring, or at another part of your life’s journey, remember that at each stage, there will always be moments where we’re graduating to a new chapter. And with each new chapter comes the chance to advance, to make progress, and to flourish.
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New Hampshire Inventions – Did You Know? |
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Positive Profile of the Week: Peter T. Paul |
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This week we are delighted to highlight a successful and generous New Hampshire native – Peter Paul. Peter has not only achieved a great deal, but importantly, he has also helped provide opportunities to so very many and supported numerous worthy causes.
Peter was born and raised in the small town of Troy in the southwestern part of the state. Growing up as the son of the local physician, Peter learned at an early age the importance of helping others. As a kid, Peter would often accompany his father, Dr. Samuel Paul, on house calls and saw first-hand the difference people can make in one another’s lives.
He was raised in a home where both of his parents were deeply devoted to giving back to their community. The Paul family’s commitment to their community is most notably recognized at the Troy recreational facility that is now named after Dr. Samuel Paul who worked with residents to create a living war memorial following the Second World War.
Peter is a proud graduate of UNH where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and would go on to receive his MBA from Boston University.
He is currently the Chairman of Headlands Asset Management LLC, an investment management company he founded in 2008. In addition, he is owner of West Biofuels, a research development venture, as well as Peter Paul Wines. He is also Chairman of The Headlands Foundation, a non-profit organization he founded in 1995.
While serving on the Board of Trustees for Boston University, Peter started a Career Development Professorship Award, which supports junior faculty in advancing their careers.
In 2008, Peter made a $25 million-dollar challenge grant to the University of New Hampshire which allowed the university to build a brand new, state-of-the-art, business school. That investment in students and future generations didn’t stop there, he also started a scholarship called ‘Paul Scholars’ to help qualified students with their educational opportunities.
In addition to his commitment to expand educational opportunities to students, Peter’s generosity can be seen throughout our state. Whether it’s helping fund projects in his hometown of Troy, supporting the NH Food Bank, or sponsoring various charitable events around our state, Peter is truly living up to his family legacy of giving back.
We celebrate Peter’s success and are grateful for his positive, giving spirit as well as the opportunities, he has helped provide for so very many. We extend our heartfelt thanks. Thank you, Peter!
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“Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.”
-Dale Carnegie
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