TERRE HAUTE —
Numbers could flood my brain today, but they won’t.
True, new statistics released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau tell us that 54,365,177 Americans hold a four-year college degree, or 27.5 percent of the nation’s adult population. It’s the latest addition to that list, though, that will dominate my thoughts.
I could dwell on the cost of a university education, which — as we know quite well — leaves graduates of a four-year public college with an average student-loan debt of $25,000. That’s real, but the only bottom line concerning my family today will be the one bearing his name on the front of a Purdue diploma.
There’s legitimate cause to fret about the job market my son will enter, with nearly 10 percent of the labor force out of work. He’s well-equipped for the challenge, though. The unemployment rate for folks with a bachelor’s degree stands at 5 percent. Plus, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists his field of study, civil engineering, as one of the top growth jobs for the coming decade.
Besides, he and other “echo boomers” — the children of baby boomers — came of age in an era when tough economic times were the norm, from the 9/11 collapse through the Great Recession. I like his chances. I’ve seen him handle steep odds before.
Five winters ago, he broke his leg — just below his knee — at the outset of his final season as a high school wrestler. For a senior, the temptation to just call it a career would be strong. Wrestling is hard enough for a healthy athlete. Three 2-minute periods can seem like an eternity. There’s no teammate to rescue you when some behemoth has your face squashed into the mat and your arm wrenched behind your back. Bloody noses and lips, black eyes and swollen ears are routine. So are ringworm outbreaks.
Oh, and there’s also the small matter of maintaining a consistent weight. Few teenagers are willing to say goodbye to pizza for five months, or eat a nice, fresh, delicious salad on Thanksgiving. But to be a wrestling team’s 189-pounder, you must weigh, yes, 189 pounds. There’s a weigh-in before every meet, and scales don’t lie.
The kid didn’t quit.
Instead, he spent most of his team’s practices lifting weights. He couldn’t use his leg for almost two months, but his upper body looked like one of those super hero Halloween costumes.
Finally, once his rehab stretch was complete, he got cleared to get back on the mat. And, at the start, he literally ended up on the mat more often than usual. The year before, he’d led his team in pins (a victory earned by holding down both of your opponent’s shoulders). Now, with his legs not yet fully conditioned, he was struggling to win. That’s another beautiful aspect of wrestling — you learn humility, in front of a gym full of moms, dads, grandparents, brothers, sisters, girlfriends and best buds. He absorbed the setbacks with class.
By the time the sectional rolled around, he’d lost as many matches as he’d won. Quite a change from his junior season. When the sectional coaches met to select the seedings for each wrestler in each weight class, they slotted my son seventh out of eight competitors, or next-to-last. Given his gradual recovery and record, you couldn’t argue with their assessment.
He decided to disprove them, though.
With amazed smiles, my wife and I, and his kid brother and sister, watched him knock off higher seeded sectional rivals, one by one. The video of the final seconds of his victory in the championship match looks as shaky as “The Blair Witch Project” because my wife and I couldn’t stand still. The image of him jumping with a beaming smile and jubilantly punching the air will be etched into my brain forever. Not because he succeeded in a sport, but because he didn’t give up when life got rougher.
After seeing that, I knew he could tackle college.
On graduation day, whether in May or December, parents flip through a mental scrapbook of the 16-plus years it takes to reach this point … That uneasy wave through the bus window on the first day of school. Turning plastic pop bottles into science fair projects. A squeaking saxophone, warming up on the night before the Christmas concert. Creating a driveable contraption known as a “super mileage car” for a high school competition. Frantic searches for lost wrestling shoes at 5:30 a.m. Packing lunches. Hustling to get to parent-teacher conferences. Honor rolls. Groundings (just a couple). Driver’s ed. Heading off to college. Late-night calls about a course from hell.
And then, after the last final exam of college ends, an excited text saying, “School’s out forever!”
Each mother or father of America’s 54,365,177 college graduates probably reacted differently when their son or daughter received a diploma, assuming they lived long enough to see it happen. Some likely smiled with quiet dignity. Others may have shed tears of pride, joy and relief. As for me, today, I might just jump up, punch the air and smile.
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Mark Bennett Opinion
MARK BENNETT: Gains outlast pains on long journey to graduation day
- Mark Bennett Opinion
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MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research.
(Unless, of course, your mother is a scientific researcher. If so, carry a No. 2 pencil and take good notes.) -
MARK BENNETT: Should I stay or should I go?
Some have their Bill Clinton-era Cavalier packed (with the trunk bungee-ed shut), apartment cleaned (except for the fridge), and iPhone GPS locked onto the fastest route out of Terre Haute. Others are staying — until they find a better job, or because they’re starting a career here, or because this town feels like home. In each case, a new stage of life begins today.
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College Class of '13 gets a little extra advice
Local college grads will hear commencement speakers offer life and career advice this month. We’re offering them an extra dose here from folks who’ve found success in various vocations and regions of the nation. Many have Terre Haute roots.
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MARK BENNETT: Spirited response to a rising river
The power within the Wabash revealed itself last week.
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MARK BENNETT: Littered with irony: Why do people callously discard their trash, and who are they?
Though they aren’t acknowledged by the U.S. Census Bureau, there are basically two demographic groups of people … Those who would dump their old toilet on the banks of the Wabash River or a rural roadside. And those who wouldn’t.
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MARK BENNETT: Performing under the radar: Toiling for years behind the scenes, Terre Haute native J.T. Corenflos finally earned a splash of musical recognition
People who diligently work to make others shine are a rare breed.
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Season of Day 2s arrives
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MARK BENNETT: Amid tragedy and chaos, the hopeful smiles of youth could not be repressed
The image jars the viewer. On its own, the old photograph appears ordinary. Three smiling kids.
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MARK BENNETT: A century later, ‘On the Banks of the Wabash’ still rises above Indiana politics
Music and politics share one commonality — people who like a style different from yours are nuts.
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MARK BENNETT: Digit dialing a thing of the past, but telephoning is still a numbers game
You’ve heard of child prodigies who can play Mozart on piano or perform calculus at the age of 5.
That wasn’t me. -
MARK BENNETT: After years of preparation, 60 immigrants will gather in Terre Haute on March 14 to pledge their allegiance to the United States of America
It will have been a long and difficult road, but it will be an emotional moment when they raise their right hands and begin the oath of citizenship
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MARK BENNETT: The fall and rise of a ‘Young Titan’
Broken. Humiliated. Discarded. Finished.
Few of us think of Winston Churchill in such bleak terms. -
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Second-graders’ eyes and minds function differently.
They see the future unjaded. Their possibilities stand tall, not yet choked by the adult weeds of prejudice and bitterness. -
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Educator, not a politician.
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This is a day for Roman numerals.
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The two comments were almost identical.
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MARK BENNETT: A sense of Americana constant passenger as iconic Corvette motors through milestone birthday
On my last ride at the wheel of a ’Vette, I was a wide-eyed teenager, guiding my brother’s almost-new, orange 1976 model.
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MARK BENNETT: Sculptor from North Carolina to capture image of Indiana’s first black state legislator
Well-meaning parents try to instill strong character in their kids.
“Don’t be afraid to stand up for your beliefs,” moms and dads will insist, “even if you stand alone.” -
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Many folks in Vigo County will analyze digits on their bathroom scales this month. After all, January and fitness resolutions are traditional partners.
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MARK BENNETT: For some people in the Wabash Valley, happy holidays require a little help
Picture yourself as a kid, not yet 5 years old, growing up in a small house in Terre Haute.
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MARK BENNETT: Beware Ignorance and Want and reap the benefits of early education
Pretend that Charles Dickens is about to become Indiana’s next governor.
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MARK BENNETT: In spirit of season, calculate your fiscal cliff impact, then argue
Envision “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”
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MARK BENNETT: Members of Congress should be free to consider all sides of an issue
Attempting to trump the U.S. Constitution requires some nerve.
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MARK BENNETT: An unbudging Congress standing on opposing sides accomplishes little
Sausage patties, hugging a scoop of scrambled eggs and a couple slices of toast on a plate, and chased with nearby steaming black coffee.
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MARK BENNETT: Hoosier voters issue mandate on Bennett’s school reforms
Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and Indiana legislators should respect the votes of 1,315,026 Hoosiers.
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MARK BENNETT: Elections, governing would look a lot different if everybody voted
A raffle ticket purchase usually comes with a disclaimer — “you must be present to win.”
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MARK BENNETT: On Election Day, as Vigo County goes, so goes the United States
Hempstead sounds like a fine place.
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MARK BENNETT: Upcoming PBS documentary focuses on nation’s voting irregularities, through Hoosier eyes
As America prepares to choose its governmental leaders, voters are being relentlessly asked how much they trust elected officials.
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MARK BENNETT: Quest for knowledge keeps going as Elliott Gould prepares to speak in Terre Haute
As our conversation began, Elliott Gould was in the midst of learning. He was reading a book.
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MARK BENNETT: Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
Joe South turned a call for empathy and understanding into a 1960s pop music classic.
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MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
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