Distinguished MHS Alumni Offer Students Life Advice
Milton Hershey School Senior Division students recently received career and life advice from two alumni whose post-graduation journeys put them on the national stage. Deesha Dyer ’95 and Trymaine Lee ’96 spent a day at MHS as part of the school’s annual Cultural Week.
Dyer is the founder and president of social impact agency Hook & Fasten. She previously worked as President Barack Obama’s social secretary. Lee is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has worked for the New York Times, Huffington Post, and MSNBC.
Dyer and Lee told students to follow their passions when pursuing a career. Lee discussed how leaning into his love for storytelling led him to unforgettable experiences and the opportunity to help readers, viewers, and listeners understand the world they live in.
“It’s not about what I want to do, it’s about how I want to feel when I am doing it,” Lee said.
Dyer told students to explore several career paths and discuss their options with professionals working in the fields they are considering.
“You are at the age where you should have multiple interests; you don’t have to drill down on one thing,” she said.
The pair emphasized that life’s challenges can also be viewed as opportunities for growth.
“We are human beings, we are growing, and it’s going to be OK,” Lee said. “But learn not to make the same mistake twice, that’s a pattern.”
In addition to hosting a lunchtime panel discussion, Lee and Dyer visited several classrooms and student homes. Even though it has been nearly three decades since they graduated, they said today’s students are facing similar challenges as they did. They reminded students, especially members of the Class of 2025 who will be graduating in a few weeks, that MHS will always be their home. They also told students to remember to return to campus and maintain life-long connections with their classmates, teachers, and administrators.
“To come back to campus and just have all those memories and nostalgia kind of come back to me, it reminds me of the community in which we cultivated here, and a community that still stands with all of our alumni,” Lee said. “And I want to be able to drill that into these young people that they have each other.”