High School Graduation Day, 1997.That shifting of tassels had sparked a subtle realization in me which would grow more lucid as time came to pass:Things had been excluded from our public school curriculum.The inner workings of the real world had yet to be unveiled, and soon a batch of harsh lessons would serve as a slap to the face.Cultures clashed all around us, former classmates and I fell into debt, our health suffered, and acts of discrimination became commonplace.To top it off, bias was found oozing from every crevice of The Media, serving only to deepen the rifts of society.Facing these hardships, I learned how to embrace civil confrontation and overcome biases. I achieved financial stability, and acquired the knowledge to nurture health and nutrition.I grew capable of recognizing the pitfalls that elicited social disorder, thus preventing unnecessary quarrels among peers.

From expunging misunderstandings about feminism to continuing one's education responsibly, I've shared a variety of perspectives and insights from the other side of the tassel - those I can only wish had been revealed to me back in high school.