Alumni Update: Letter to 2018 graduates from Mara Bragg, Class of 1993

submitted by Susan Fielder, MHS Alumni Association

Dear MHS Class of 2018,

Congratulations! Graduation is almost here! Can you believe it?!

Whether you’re counting the days until your diploma, or wishing high school would never end, you’ll all walk across that stage and become graduates of Manchester High School.

Exactly 25 years ago, that was me. And I was one of the students counting the days until I would graduate, on June 6, 1993. Every day of my senior year, I crossed another day off the calendar; one day closer to finishing high school.

After MHS, I graduated from Kalamazoo College, escaped a brush with death and moved to New York City (more on that later). I don’t get back to Michigan much. A few months ago, I got a phone call asking if I was the same Mara Bragg who graduated as the valedictorian of the MHS class of 1993. (Yes.)

This call from Susan Fielder, of the Manchester Alumni Association, inspired me to open an old box of high school papers, and write this note to you, Class of 2018.

I found my 1993 Class Motto, which holds up well for you, too: “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

I found a yellowed copy of The Manchester Enterprise, dated June 10, 1993, that summarized my valedictorian speech. Apparently, I spoke about “the experiences of the past contributing to the exciting future of the day’s graduates.” Do I remember this? Not really!

I do remember quoting Bob Dylan lyrics: “May your wishes all come true / May you always do for others and let others do for you / May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung / May you grow up to be righteous / May you grow up to be true / May you always know the truth and see the light surrounding you / May you always be courageous, stand up right, and be strong …” Twenty-five years later, I send these same good wishes to you, the Class of 2018.

I also found a letter from the Manchester Education Association and Support Staff. It recalled our journey from kindergarten, when “approximately thirteen years ago, you entered the world of letters, numbers and ideals. You were eager, afraid and very curious.” It then acknowledged our future: “Today you move on to a new world. Again, you are eager, afraid, and very curious.”

I like those words. “Eager, afraid and very curious.” Because it probably applies to all of us, no matter our age or stage in life. Because no one knows what the future will hold.

I’d be lying if I said high school graduation plus 25 years reveals the secrets to the universe, or a sneak peek into the future. Even with Google and Alexa and whatever else gets invented in the next 25 years, no one knows. The future reveals itself as it does.

As you look ahead to life after MHS, you may be eager to chase new dreams, and maybe a little afraid, too. That’s okay. Hold on to the “very curious” part of the equation, and you’ll figure out how to cut through fear and pursue your post-high-school plans, whatever they may be, now and later, too.

Speaking of fear, back to my near-death experience at age 22. I was sticking around Michigan for a summer job after my college graduation, and then moving to New York in the fall to pursue a career in magazine publishing. That was the plan. Instead of arriving for my second day of work at the University of Michigan, I was airlifted to the U of M hospital via helicopter, after a car accident just outside the Manchester village limits, when another driver lost control of his car. Thankfully, I survived. I’m forever grateful to the Manchester volunteer firefighters who arrived on the scene, and forever thankful that I made a full recovery from injuries that might have killed or paralyzed me.

I was still eager to move to New York. Having survived such a traumatic experience, I knew what it was like to be afraid. And yet I was still very curious … what could my life be like in a new city? I wanted to find out.

Six months to the day of the accident, I bought a one-way plane ticket to New York City and booked a two-week stay in a rooming house. I leaped, and never looked back. In those early weeks, I found my first apartment rental and then temp work and then a full-time job in magazine publishing.

After 10 years of working as an editor and writer for consumer magazines, I welcomed a baby with my husband, and left my full-time job as a managing editor to raise our son. I kept writing for magazines on a freelance basis, while also volunteering for the breastfeeding organization La Leche League.

I followed the path of my life, as it ebbed and flowed now with a child, and I kept following my curiosity. I pursued certification as a lactation counselor, which led to a new career direction and my current position running a parenting center and working with local families at a community organization in my neighborhood.

As all of you, Class of 2018, look ahead to life after Manchester and think about your future, you might not know your career path or college major yet or even whether to attend college right now. My advice to you comes from that old letter … to freely and eagerly follow your passions, skip the worries if you’re afraid, and stay curious as you pursue the path unfolding in front of you.

And to fellow alumni of MHS, please consider making a donation to support the hopes and dreams of the latest class of Manchester High School. With their own merits, plus our help, they will go on to achieve great things, and stand beside us as peers and alumni of MHS.

Good luck, Class of 2018! You did it!

Best wishes,

Mara Bragg, MHS 1993

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.