10,000 Strong
By Charity, a senior at MHS
On the day I wrote this, we had 41 days until Commencement. Most of the time I’ve spent recently has been devoted to thinking about all of the serendipitous moments that have led me to graduation. I’ve spent the last six years of my life in chocolate town USA. In these six years, I’ve had time to grow and change as a person and as a member of the global community.
I’ve experienced higher highs (30,000 feet on the flight to Europe) than I would have ever thought possible thanks to the generosity and love that came from Milton and Catherine Hershey. I’ve developed self-worth that exceeds anything I ever imagined, and friendships that were formed on the Hershey’s Chocolate World ride.
I’ve learned to nevertheless persist in the face of inevitable danger and to fight relentlessly against the challenges of the world. I’ve learned how to love the most unlovable and stick up for the silenced. I’ve learned that paradigm shifts are unavoidable and incredibly necessary in order to understand our world.
Most importantly, I’ve learned that life is not a walk in the park. No matter where you come from and no matter how large an obstacle you experience, it is possible to stare it in the face and conquer it.
Am I scared to graduate? Absolutely terrified. But I know I will always have my MHS family 10,000+ strong to hold me up. When it feels like life has crumbled completely underneath me, I know someone will be there to put me on solid ground. Because of the strong foundation I’ve created at Milton Hershey School, I’m sure that no matter which road I take, it will always lead somewhere great.
Thanks to the love and encouragement I was blessed with at MHS, I’m going to college next year to study global media and film. One day, I hope to win an Oscar for best documentary—and I’ll probably be forcefully removed from the stage because my acceptance speech is too long due to the extreme length of people I have to thank at MHS. I hope I see my friends in the crowd with their own awards for best actor and best costume design.
Most of all, I hope I can look into the crowd and see the faces of Milton and Catherine Hershey smiling back at me—much like I will be smiling at them as I walk across the stage in 41 days.
Charity and an MHS staff member and mentor.