Embracing the Journey: Navigating Life after Graduation

June marks graduation month, a time of celebration and reflection for many young adults, especially high school graduates. It symbolizes the culmination of years of hard work, growth, and learning, filled with pride and joy. Yet, it also brings anticipation and uncertainty about the future, whether they plan to attend college, enter the workforce, or explore other paths. It’s essential to acknowledge the mixed emotions, especially for neurodivergent young adults, as they navigate this transition. Stress, fear, anxiety, joy, relief, and anticipation are all normal parts of the graduation experience.

Graduating from Help Group schools like Village Glen, Bridgeport, Sunrise, North Hills Prep, and Summit View is an extraordinary achievement that fills students, families, and educators with immense pride. These schools provide a nurturing and supportive environment tailored to the unique needs of each student, helping them overcome challenges and reach their full potential. The dedication and hard work put in by students at these schools are a testament to their resilience and determination. As they walk across the stage to receive their certificates and diplomas, it signifies not just the completion of their academic journey but also the triumph over personal obstacles and the realization of dreams. This milestone celebrates their growth, achievements, and the promising futures ahead, evoking profound and heartfelt pride.

Graduation Can Be a Highly Emotional Event
For many young adults, graduation symbolizes both the end of a familiar chapter and the start of an uncertain future. The emotional weight of saying goodbye to cherished teachers and friends can be overwhelming. The looming question of “what comes next” can provoke significant anxiety, making the well-intentioned inquiries of family and friends feel daunting. Parents may also find themselves emotionally moved, witnessing their child achieve a milestone they may have once thought was unattainable.

Post-Graduation Plans
As high school graduates contemplate their next steps, such as attending a two- or four-year college, they may experience fears about leaving home, separation anxiety, or feelings of unpreparedness for this new stage of life. Similarly, college graduates might feel a profound sense of loss at no longer being students and face apprehension about entering the workforce. The process of creating resumes, preparing for job interviews, and navigating the expectations of adulthood can seem overwhelming.

It’s also common for some graduates to have no concrete plans post-graduation, adding to the pressure to meet familial and societal expectations. For those staying local, watching peers embark on new adventures can trigger wistfulness and sadness at being left behind.

It’s Okay to Be Unsure of Future Plans
Uncertainty about the future is perfectly normal. Many people explore various paths before discovering their true passion. Graduates and their parents might feel societal pressure, amplified by social media, to have a clear plan, but it’s crucial to remember that there is no single correct path in life.

Here are a few considerations for navigating this transition:

Taking Time Off is Acceptable. A gap year can be a valuable option for graduates needing more time. This period can be spent taking community college classes to explore new interests, volunteering to gain career insights, traveling to build independence, or trying new hobbies to uncover hidden talents.

Opinions of Others Do Not Define You. External opinions should not dictate one’s life choices. It’s helpful to have a prepared response for those probing about future plans, such as, “I’m exploring several exciting options and looking forward to what comes next!”

Life Has Many Paths. The diversity of life’s paths adds to its richness. While some people have a clear direction, it’s perfectly fine not to have one immediately.

The Help Group offers a wide variety of programs to support adolescents and young adults (ages 18-22) with social-emotional and mental health challenges in gaining and maintaining successful employment. Among them are The Help Group’s Momentum Program, which provides comprehensive vocational services and support to those with identified disabilities or individuals receiving Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) services. A dedicated team of Employment Specialists works closely with each client to assess their vocational needs, develop personalized employment plans, and facilitate the job search and placement process.

The Help Group’s Advance LA program offers coaching and support services while providing resources and guidance in improving social skills, and training those who may be struggling with the challenges of higher education, entering the workforce, independent living, and other related issues.

Aside from social, vocational, therapeutic, and educational programs, The Help Group also offers residential programs such as Project Six to assist individuals in gaining the comprehensive skills necessary to successfully reintegrate into their local school, community and family home. Project Six utilizes a relationship-based treatment model to help residents develop age-appropriate interpersonal skills that contribute to overall social-emotional, behavioral, and academic improvement.

Embracing the Transition
Acknowledging and anticipating the potential stress of this transitional period allows graduates and their parents to approach the future with openness and adaptability.

From all of us at The Help Group, congratulations to all our graduating students! We wish our graduates and their families lots of joy and happiness, and cheers to exciting new adventures that lie ahead!

For additional information about our Young Adults Programs, please contact advancela@thehelpgroup.org or 818-779-5198