A couple years back, I was on Kauai during graduation season. If you’ve not been to the Garden Island or another rural community during graduation, you’re missing out. Hanging from front yard fences and posted along the highways are countless, colorful banners celebrating their high school seniors.

It’s like campaign season, just way, way better, as the pride of parents and families radiates from these banners. It’s like driving through joy, and it’s infectious in all the best ways.

I have one child, so we’ve spent years gearing up for a big senior year. He looked forward to prom. Homecoming. All the fanfare that leads up to the milestone of high school graduation.

Then COVID-19 happened.

It’s hard to think about all the instability and anxiety of the last year. We’ve surely not even begun to see the long-term effects this pandemic has had on our economy or collective emotional health as a society. During a time in which we all did our best to “keep calm and carry on,” perhaps under-recognized are the effects the year had on high school seniors.

My son took a baseline SAT at the beginning of his junior year, and as a result became one of the few lucky seniors who had any SAT score at all going into his senior year. Most standardized tests across the country were canceled as COVID-19 cases rose. As a result, many colleges waived the requirement of a standardized test score, but there wasn’t much that could be done for those students who relied on the test score to strengthen their college applications.

The year also was devastating for student athletes across the country, who eagerly awaited a senior year to showcase their talents for scouts and college coaches. Athletics, and the accompanying athletic scholarships, are the most viable road to attending college for students in many communities.

Yet, somehow, these seniors found ways to navigate and even enjoy their senior years. Even when they could only hang out in small, masked groups of five or less, kids got together. They went hiking. They went to the beach.

They found a way to make the best of a truly horrible situation. They persisted and graduated. While the rest of the world was just trying to keep it together, these kids found a way to pave their futures. When you stop to think about it, it’s an awesome accomplishment.

As most mothers, I’m proud of my son regardless, but I have been simply amazed by his resilience. All his friends and classmates, from different schools and communities across the island, found ways to stay connected and healthy.

They demonstrated a level of resilience that I certainly didn’t have at their age. And as the age group least effected by COVID-19 from a health standpoint, they never once failed to appreciate the importance of doing their part to keep the people around them safe.

While every graduation deserves praise, I hope people make an extra effort to celebrate the high school graduates in their lives this year. Whether it’s watching a virtual graduation or making the time to attend the growing number of “drive-thru” events, make the effort.

Post in the comments. Post on your social media. Make a sign. Make a banner. Spread your pride and joy, because the world can certainly use lots of pride and joy right now.

Celebrate these kids, because they have truly done something amazing. And if this year has been precedent for the capacity of this rising generation to unite and lead, then the future is not only going to be bright – it’s going to be beautiful.

Congratulations to the Class of 2021!