Chris Carrel, Rock Star (well, sort of...)

Ever since April 1976, when I saw my first rock concert - Aerosmith at the (old) Seattle Coliseum; I believe it was the "We're Ready for Rehab" tour - I've wanted to be on that stage before admiring thousands. There were years of practice. Thousands of dollars invested in guitars. Yesterday, I got my wish.
...sort of...without guitars.

I was fortunate to be named Highline Community College's Distinguished Alumni of 2007 and participate in the college's commencement exercises at Key Arena (Formerly the Coliseum). It was an unprecedented honor to be recognized by this excellent institution and a singular experience to participate in and witness so many young (and not so young) people graduating with their A.A. degrees and preparing for their futures.

The whole thing came about because (board member) Rus Higley nominated me for the distinguished alumni award. I was quite surprised when I was notified that they had selected me for the award. The list of Highline's distinguished alumni is pretty impressive: former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, Tricia Crozier, Chief Administrative Officer for King County Court, and Ezra Teshome, who has worked to eliminate polio in Ethiopia. I feel pretty humbled to be added to a list of luminaries like this!

The day started off with the faculty/staff luncheon at the Student Union Building on the Des Moines Campus. I was given a beautiful glass vase engraved with my name and the award. I had the opportunity to share with the group how Highline played such an important role in my education. I won't bore you with all the details, but due to life circumstances at the time, if it hadn't been for Highline I wouldn't have been able to enter college right out of high school. What I found at Highline were teachers and courses that sparked an intellectual fire in me that carried me through many years of college (I won't tell you how long it took me to finish my B.A.) and into a career that finally landed me here at the Friends.

Ironically, one of those teachers, Bruce Roberts, was being honored that day as Outstanding Teacher of the Year, and was retiring after 32 years at the school. That provided a very cool symmetry to the day.

Then, it was off to Key Arena for commencement. I had a chance to meet the college's trustees Board Chair Elizabeth Chen, Ed Davila, Rita Creighton, Mike Regeimbal, and my friend Karen Vander Ark and college President Jack Bermingham.  It was a pleasure to watch Jack Bermingham in action. Excellent leadership abilities are easy to spot, and Bermingham has that. He's very intelligent, thoughtful, a strategic thinker, and has the communication skills to represent Highline to any audience conceivable. I was pleased to see my alma mater in such good hands.

The highlight of the day for me was the commencement exercise. Highline has always provided a gateway to college education for a wide range of students from different backgrounds, but the diversity I saw on display yesterday was truly awe-inspiring. The event started off with a welcome by 10 or so students in their native language. I heard Ukrainian, Japanese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, and many others. It was a great way to underscore the service Highline provides to a diverse population.

When diplomas were being handed to students, you'd see these groups of students of specific ethnicities approach together and their relatives and friends in the stands would go crazy shouting and cheering for them. I got a sense for how valuable Highline is in providing a bridge for immigrants to this country to step up into the mainstream and get the chance to succeed.

But it's not just immigrants or students of color, there were as many stories out there at Key Arena as there were graduates. There was one young man, who was a single dad at a very young age. He had come to Highline to get his G.E.D. to be able to better provide for his sons. He ended up staying on to get his A.A. (with honors) and his oldest son joined him there through Running Start. Imagine what a change this man made for his family by using Highline to transform himself from a high school drop out to a successful college student modeling excellent behavior for his son and daughter.

There was Kiana Hayes, the student speaker, a single mom who overcame a turbulent home life to earn her A.A. degree. Daniel Nordstrom, a displaced timber worker who was building a new career path for himself by earning certification as a respiratory therapist. There were adults who had come to Highline after years in other careers, or focusing on parenting, or who enhanced their career opportunities through additional education. I have to make the shout out to the Friends' own Tamera Bull, who earned her A.A. yesterday! Also, our good friend Jodie Hollinger-Lant! I also saw friends of my oldest daughter who graduated through the Running Start program.

Blogs are supposed to be short and sweet, and I've run on way too long already, which I do when I'm inspired. Here's the thing about yesterday. Colleges like Highline are what's good about America. One of the great values of this country is the opportunity for self-improvement and self-advancement. Even if you're starting at the bottom rung of the ladder, you can climb. Education has always been the equalizer. If you educate yourself, you can make choices about what you do and where you work. If you educate yourself, you can become a thoughtful, participating citizen and community member.

What I saw yesterday was equalization in action. Who knows what yesterday's graduates will go on to do. I, for one, am excited about the possibilities!

Comments

[Adele Freeland]

Congratualtions Chris!