From One Generation of Cranford High Alumni to the Next

As seniors at Cranford High School walk down the aisle today to receive their diplomas, they may be filled  with a sense of exhilaration, independence and hope.

But underneath the positive emotions, they may also feel a little angst. For the first time, they will be on their own – out into the "real world" as the saying goes. 

But they can take comfort in the fact that exactly 10 years ago, Cranford High students, just like them, walked down the aisle with the same excitement and fear. And those alumni have some advice for their younger counterparts.

Cranford High Class of 2000 alum Ben Brown encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities offered in college and to study hard.

"My experience is that in order to get the jobs you want out of college you need to either have good grades or great job experience, and in a really tough economy you need both," Brown said,  who now works as a patent attorney at a large international law firm in Boston.

Alum Sara Soriente echoed what Brown had to say about students making the most of their time during school.

"Don't take college for granted. Make sure to take all the opportunities that come your way. Get involved on campus, study hard, volunteer, study abroad and have fun," Soriente said.

Soriente attended the University of Delaware and is now an earth science teacher at Westfield High School. She also advised students to gear their studies in college toward subjects that interest them.

"When picking a major, let your decision be determined based on something you can truly see yourself doing for the rest of your life," she said.

Alum Conor Leddy, who attended Georgetown University, said students should move forward full steam ahead.

"The next 10 years are most likely going to be the best 10 years of your life.  At the end of it, the last thing you want is to be asking yourself 'What if I had done this?' or 'What if I had done that?'" Leddy said. "Make an effort to try new things, meet new people, take some risks, and travel to different places.  Don't be afraid to leave your comfort zone every now and then and make a few mistakes along the way."

And alum Stephanie Risse put it simply when she summed up her advice in a quote from Steven Tyler of Aerosmith: "Life's a journey, not a destination."