Homeschool Graduation: Gracie Neland, second-generation MPE alumna

TRANSCRIPT

Shanxi: Hello, this is Shanxi Omoniyi, host of MPE’s “Homeschool Hints” podcast to encourage you wherever you may be on your homeschool journey.

Today, we're going to talk with Gracie Neland - a little bit about herself and her homeschool journey, and about MPE's upcoming graduation, which is a ceremony that's coming up May 17 in the evening at College Church of the Nazarene.

So Gracie, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your homeschool journey?

Gracie: Yes, thank you so much for having me. My name is Gracie Neland, and I have been homeschooled off and on all my life. So from preschool to 4th grade, I was homeschooled by my mom and then in 4th grade, I went to Maranatha Christian Academy until 7th grade. And then during my 8th grade year I went back to homeschool, and then as a freshman I went to Christ Prep Academy for a year. And then from my sophomore year to senior year, I was a homeschooler and my senior year, I also did dual credit at Kansas City Kansas Community College. 

Shanxi: So how did you get involved in MPE's 2022 graduation? 

Gracie: So my mom was actually in the MPE graduation for her high school graduation, which is awesome. Yes.

Shanxi: Congratulations to your mom!

Gracie: Thank you. Yes. So she actually encouraged me to go through MPE for my graduation as well because she enjoyed the process so much herself. 

Shanxi: Wow. So you're a second-generation MPE grad then? 

Gracie: That's right, yes, I am. 

Shanxi: Had they changed much from when she was doing the process?

Gracie: I think she said it was actually pretty similar to what it looked like whenever she graduated, so it was pretty cool.

Shanxi: Did you have any expectations going in, like any concerns? And then what was the actual graduation ceremony like after all that prep work ahead of time?

Gracie: So I think going into it, I was really curious about how it would work with the committees, and you know, all the students work together to kind of prepare, and then we obviously have some adults that also have a big part in just the whole process and guiding us in the right direction with everything.

And it was definitely something that I hadn't really heard of until senior year, so I didn't know a ton going into it. And funny enough, the year that I volunteered to help with the junior graduates was the year that COVID was still kind of prevalent, so that was very cool, but it was a very different experience than my graduation was.

I was definitely so curious to see how it would look like in 2022 versus 2021 being at MidAmerica and everything. So yeah, but I think that I thought it was really awesome to get the opportunity to meet other homeschoolers and kind of build friendships and community through the process as well and all work together to make a wonderful graduation ceremony.

Shanxi: Yeah, that is really good. Especially since, I'm sure your mom being an actual MPE grad, that's news to me, but since she was an MPE grad, did she prep you ahead of time? Saying, you know, you're going to be on a committee, you're going to volunteer, you're going to organize a lot of the graduation ceremony details ahead of time?

Gracie: She did her best at explaining everything she could. I think that she couldn't remember some parts because it had been a minute, but whatever she could remember, she definitely was able to give me details. And I think the best part for me was to see how good the experience was for her and understand that whatever it looks like, whatever the process is going to be, it was going to be a good experience all around.

Shanxi: Yes, definitely. Do you remember what committee you served on? I know it's been two years. 

Gracie: Yes, I do, actually. I was on the music committee. So yeah, I love music. And I was really excited to be on that committee. Do you want me to explain a little bit as to what that committee looked like?

Shanxi: Yeah, absolutely.

Gracie: Each committee, you work with a set of a few other students, and you try to confirm all the plans for what you will have at the graduation ceremony for your specific thing.

So for music, we had to find a director and we had to figure out, you were able to audition to do live music beforehand. I would say it was more of like, worship-centered music. It was definitely no, there wasn't any secular, and everybody auditioned actually was able to sing at the ceremony, which was awesome.

And then we helped with practices, and we confirmed all the music that would be played, like recording music as well as live music. So that was really cool. I got to help lead in communicating with our adult leaders and confirming different decisions we hadn't made as a committee, and then we got to work with all the other students there and see what everybody wanted to choose for our class song and all that kind of stuff, which was really cool.

But I think that my favorite part of that experience was just being able to have our own hand in helping in that process and making decisions as well. 

Shanxi: Yes, it's kind of like that last final step before graduation and you're kind of like, being an adult now and making all these decisions. <laughs>

Gracie: Definitely. Yes, it was awesome. <laughs>

Shanxi: Tell me a little bit about the rose ceremony. I know for some people, that's completely new, and it's always kind of like a really special moment during the ceremony. And for people who have never attended an MPE graduation before, could you explain a little bit about that? And do you remember the roses that you gave at your ceremony?

Gracie: Yes, so for the rose ceremony. I would say it's a way to all people who have had a really big impact in your life and it's like a thank you in the symbol of a rose, I would say. And I thought it was really special because a lot of the people that came to my graduation, I could give you so many reasons why they were so special to me. And they helped me to get to who I became and just, in the process of schooling and homework, and helped me with all the things as I got to graduation as well.

And so I had given a rose to pretty much every person in my family that came. And so I had my great-grandma there and my grandparents, my parents, my siblings, my aunts and uncles, and some of my cousins as well.

And what I did was, I gave an individual rose to each set of grandparents. And then I gave one to my aunts and uncles that were married. So as a family, I'd be like, this is for your family and everything, because it added up very quickly. <laughs>

But yeah, I loved that. And I thought it was really a sweet moment. Honestly, one of my favorite moments of the night was the rose ceremony. Just being able to come off the stage and have that connection with them throughout the night as well, and just say thank you, I love you, and I appreciate you.

Shanxi: This is a topic near and dear to my heart because like your mom, I was also an MPE grad and we were immigrants to the US, so we didn't have a lot of family here, but we used the rose ceremony to just recognize some of the mentors who had poured into our lives.

So for example, I had been to Johnson County Community College, a bit like you. I'd been to community college before graduating, and I invited some of my professors and some of the coworkers that I had worked with and really made memories with. And I just remember they were all, I think, pretty touched to receive a rose because they hadn't expected to get one.

And then during the ceremony, of course, their names were in the program. And so I ended up just saying this is a way to appreciate publicly all that you've done for me. And just, you know, in my education and all the ways that you've mentioned me. So yeah, that's really awesome.

And with the other highlights? You mentioned the rose ceremony for you. Were there others like the parental blessing, for example, or other moments that really stood out for you? 

Gracie: I really loved the whole process and how MPE does it. I think that it's really special to be given the opportunity to sing as well as do speeches. So I got to sing with one of my friends, and then I had some friends who also played instruments in the song that we were singing in. And that was really, really special for me, and I loved that part as well. That was another big highlight.

And then I did love the parental blessings. I thought it was super sweet to just hear all the parents, not even just my own. It just speaks so highly of their child and all the ways that they loved them and more of an outsider perspective, not knowing some of those people and being able to see how their parents would talk about their journey, getting to graduation and what they had been through.

Sometimes they would mention small things, and just knowing the awesome stories that people had to get to that moment. It was beautiful for me and for the parents to be able to recognize that in such a sweet way. I also loved being able to have my parents up there and help give me my diploma and everything. That was really sweet. So I liked that process.

And then near the end, I loved having our senior tables, and that's after the ceremony. But just like the reception kind of time, being able to have our tables, and I think that was another way for me to get to know the other students better as well even, out at the end, just going around, seeing all of the amazing personalities and the ways that you could be creative with who you were, and just showcase and highlight your life and look back on all the memories with everybody. And that was really sweet as well. 

Shanxi: Yes, so big question. What did you plan to be and do after your high school graduation, and has that changed in any way over the last few years? 

Gracie: Yes. So I planned on becoming a COTA, which is a certified occupational therapist assistant after high school, and I am currently still on that track. So we're still in the process of that.

I just graduated with my associate’s at Kansas City Kansas Community College. That was my prerequisite program to get into my specific program to become an OTA. And I've really enjoyed the process so far. It's been great.

And throughout the last couple of years, I was able to intern at a ranch for children, specifically girls at risk going into the foster care system in Alabama. So the summer of my senior year, I actually went to do that. That was really important in just being able to work with kids because I want to do pediatric OTA. So that was awesome.

And then I am now the special-needs associate at my church, Lenexa Baptist Church. It's so special. I love it. And that was just another door that the Lord opened in wonderful ways to just be able to be a part of my journey of becoming an OTA and getting to have some hands-on before I get my degree as well, which has been really awesome. So that's a part-time job.

But I just got a full-time position out of school to become a paraprofessional in elementary school. So that's another part in getting experience as much as I can before getting my degree. And so, it's been awesome and I'll continue this fall with my specified classes. 

Shanxi: Looking back on your experience, do you think that you've missed out on anything because of your homeschool journey? Or would you say that there are so many avenues and opportunities to get that even in the homeschool setting? 

Gracie: Yeah. So I would honestly say it depends on what you're referring to specifically. I think that in general, there are so many amazing experiences that you can have. So being a homeschooler, I personally feel like I did not really miss anything instead of going to public school, being in homeschool.

My experience was awesome, and I think that in a lot of ways I got to skip some of the harder parts of being in public school and that whole experience.

So homeschooling, I got to have a lot of super fun experiences. I did go to prom and homecoming. I went to lots of dances, because of my connections with private schools, and friends went to co-ops. And I also made my own prom with my friends one year.

And so, there's just lots of ways to get creative with it, and there are so many awesome circles in the homeschool world that do their best to make sure that you still get great experience with other kids. And I have found so many ways to do that.

I would oftentimes also join my friends who went to private school at their sports games and things like that, and I'd cheer on their team as if I was from their school as well, and all the things.

I think, especially for me as a believer, church was really helpful as I plugged in there to get weekly connections with other kids my age and to be able to hang out and then hang out with friends.

My family has a ministry where we take in homeless families. And we work within our community to serve people however we're able to. And through that experience as well, I feel like I've never been without a friend. And there were days that I would, during the summer, be outside all day playing with kids, having great times.

I really have never felt a lack of connection and amazing opportunities in the homeschool world as well.

Even early on, my mom held a daycare throughout the day and she would homeschool me and some other kids that were there. And so it was like her own little school, which was super sweet and fun.

So we had that and then, like I said, all the kids throughout the neighborhood. And we own a fourplex where we take in homeless families and homeless individuals, and a lot of the people who have come through our doors have become like family to us.

So through that, you have kids all around the house all the time that I would consider my sisters and brothers. And it was just so fun. So yeah, there was no time to be shy, though. <laughs> Me and my family will go out pretty often and almost every time we go out, there's somebody that we know there wherever we're at.

As a child, I would call myself a princess, doctor, and veterinarian. <laughs> And I think rockstar was in there too. But as I grew older, I was like, OK, I can't be all these things, but what of these things do I feel like would really be an awesome career choice?

And as I got older, I was thinking about becoming a doctor or a nurse more specifically. And then I realized that I don't think that I could handle emergency situations with lots of blood or giving shots or things like that. So I was like, maybe that's not what the Lord has for me.

I pursued a few different career options. There were times I considered becoming an interior designer, or a journalist or a counselor. And so I was really just looking into what each one entailed and what would bring me the most joy, but also that, like, the Lord's giving me to be able to do well.

And so as I was searching, I really asked a lot of different people I knew, like, Hey, do you have any advice for me? Do you have any wisdom I can get on any of this? And how did you find your career option?

And the question comes up a lot, I think, of, so what are your plans for the future and what do you want to do with your life? And in those moments, I took it to be like, Well, how did you get to where you are today?

And that was so helpful for me because everybody has so much wisdom that they can give you on that whole process. And I would say everything that I know now, I can attribute to just what the Lord's given me through those conversations and everything.

I had one specific conversation with a family friend. And she explained that she had a husband who was a physical therapist, and he worked with occupational therapists a lot, and I was explaining what I just said to you about the doctor and nurse thing.

And so she told me about OTA and about how awesome it is. So then she was like, If you want to shadow anybody, there's so many awesome people there that you can shadow. And so I just started diving straight into that because it really sounded like what I had been looking for, for a while - staying in the medical field, but being able to help people.

And being that I had considered being a counselor, I was really focusing on the fact that being a therapist, I could use the time to help them heal their physical body as well as try to help them in their spiritual walk.

So I really just wanted to use my relationship with them to be like, Hey, as your physical body is continuing to heal and grow and do amazing things after being hurt or broken for whatever reason, the Lord can do the same thing with your heart. And so, I thought that would be an amazing way to really bring the Lord into the conversation and just do ministry within my work as well.

And as I've worked with kids, I have loved working with them. And as I shared my experience recently, the Lord has just opened so many doors that I worked with more kids and each process I have adored. And I loved my job with children. And so, he just keeps confirming all the things through that process as well.

And I also talked to my parents about it and other trusted adults. That is a wonderful asset to really seek out that help from other people because it's really hard to try to do it on your own, for sure. And they always have so many wonderful things to share. Yeah.

I think ever since I was 14 and after having that conversation with her and looking more into it, I was like, I think this is what the Lord has for me.

And you know, growing up in ministry and working, hanging out with kids for so long, I think the care that I had for them as well, within - we have a lot of brokenness in our neighborhood, and so being able to help them through their brokenness and just come alongside them and be there for them really show me how much I would love to care for those people and help them. So now I can do it physically, and hopefully spiritually.

Shanxi: What do you have in ways of tips or advice for the class of 2024 and successive classes as they’ll be walking in your footsteps? Do you have any words of wisdom you'd like to give them? Just ways that they can prepare for the big night, or anything like that?

Gracie: Yes, absolutely. So I'd say when it comes to senior year, it can be pretty daunting at times to try to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life and what the next steps are in becoming an adult.

And I just want to encourage all the seniors or those who are looking to figure out their future, you don't have to have it all figured out from this point. You probably won't know what's going to happen for the rest of your life, and that's OK.

And just to relieve that pressure off yourself for me, I sought out what the Lord had for me, and I was like, OK, what is the next big thing that you have for me right now?

So I think just if you're a believer, walking out in the obedience of the next step and the right here and the right now is the best thing that you can do and just focus on that. And lean on that and trust that the Lord's going to direct every step that you take and help you in the process of figuring out your future.

And I would say really, just hone into your passions and your skills and your talents that the Lord's given you. I personally was able to be blessed to find a career option that I'm so passionate about, and it's the biggest excitement for me, I would say.

It's really exciting because my job doesn't feel like a job, because I just love it so much. So really, just figuring out what passion the Lord has created within you, and using that to do amazing things for him.

And yeah, I'd say for the graduation ceremony and senior year, really, just soak up every moment of it and enjoy it to the fullest.

Through the hard times, just remember that you're so close. I definitely got a little bit of senioritis, but I think using that senioritis energy helps fuel you forward to just push even stronger and keep going and make the most of the time you have.

I know a lot of people may be going different directions, but finding intentional ways to keep those connections and yeah, just really focusing on all the ways you can be so thankful for what an awesome and exciting season this is.

Shanxi: Well, congratulations again. I'm so excited for you and I'll be praying for you in this next step as you keep on working towards your goals, and do keep in touch. I'd love to touch base with you later and just see, you know, who knows where you'll be, where the Lord will take you next. 

Gracie: Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much. So wonderful talking with you.

Shanxi: Thanks so much for listening. We hope you are encouraged in your homeschool journey.

Please continue the conversation with us on our website, midwesthomeschoolers.org, or email us at podcast@midwestparenteducators.org. We're also active on social media if you'd like to connect with us there.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod of incompetech.com for providing this royalty-free song Wholesome, which is licensed under creativecommons.org.