Each week, The Park Record asks For the Record, encouraging residents and visitors to weigh in on a topic of interest. Park City High School was scheduled to hold graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2019 on Friday. The Park Record has written about a number of seniors this year and recognized their contributions to the community, namely for academic achievement, breaking gender and socioeconomic barriers, engineering, and politics.

As the Class of 2019 prepares to face a new chapter in their lives, we want to know what advice the community has for the graduating seniors. Comment with your own answer below, or consider sending a letter to the editor.


Meg Harris, Salt Lake City
Find your passion and follow it. I think a lot of focus and stress gets put on the monetary and material side of life and that gets really empty if you don’t have passion.


James Morgan, Sacramento, California
The biggest thing to me is stay in school, stay married, especially if you have kids and keep your job. Ben Shapiro says it all the time, you’re going to move up in the success ladder if you just stay married, don’t have kids out of wedlock and get a job.


Chris Zollinger, Salt Lake City
Do what makes you happy and don’t worry about money. I feel like a lot of kids worry about what job they can get to make money, and I don’t think it’s as important as people think it is at that age.


Betsy Gerth, Salt Lake City
It’s OK not knowing (what to do). I had no idea what I wanted to be until this year, and I graduated (from high school) five years ago. I’m in nursing school right now.


Deena Jaime, Harlingen, Texas
Don’t go to college just because society says you have to. We have three daughters; our oldest chose college and did fantastic, (but) our middle chose college and it wasn’t the right fit for her. I think 18 is so young to make your life decision. I feel if you need to take time to evaluate life, evaluate life.


Joe Jaime, Harlingen, Texas
Find what you love and do 110 percent to do what it is that you love and fuels your passion and whatever gives you fulfillment. I got a great job and it’s gotten us everything we wanted to get, but if I could go back and do something else, I would. If you’re not happy and fueling your misery, then you failed.

Quotations have been edited for clarity and length.