Distinguished guests, superintendent, principals, faculty, parents, friends, and students, welcome to the 2026 annual Tony Callaio commencement speech.
I started this tradition many, many years ago, writing a commencement speech for high school graduation, because, well, because I was the furthest person in the minds of the administration to give one when I graduated from Wyoming Area.
I didn’t exactly set the academic world on fire back then, and I actually didn’t wise up until I went to college.
Lesson 1: Don’t forget why you are in college. Find a balance between studying and fun, but remember, it’s all about working hard.
You are building the foundation of your life right here, right now, and that may seem crazy at the age of 18 or so that you are setting the tempo for the rest of your life at such a young age.
Unfortunately for me, when I was 18, I didn’t know up from down, and I certainly didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, yet here I am.
Whether you are going for a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree, a one-year certificate, or a trade, put everything you can into what you’re studying. Trust me on this, you want to graduate on time, and you don’t want to be left behind.
You don’t want to get a late jump on life because playing catch-up is never easy. One day, you will want to retire when all of your friends are, but you can’t because you got such a late start in life.
It’s not fun to see your friends who did it right from the beginning, get a great job, work their way up the chain, accumulate wealth and savings with a good pension plan, while you didn’t exactly do it that way, and you have to work while they are enjoying the fruits of their labor.
Lesson 2: If you are entering college, you don’t have to figure it out right off the bat on what you want to do for a career. There are very few who know what they want to do for a living since they were 10 years old.
The key is to figure it out as quickly as you can, not waste a lot of time and money just drifting around a campus asking, “What do I want to be?”
Lesson 3: College isn’t always the right path for everyone. When I was going through high school, it was frowned upon to go to a trade school. WRONG! That was a dumb attitude back then, and it was very small-minded.
The trades are where it’s at, and those going into the trades are in high, high demand. Don’t believe me? Try finding an electrician, a plumber, or a carpenter these days. Oh, you’ll find plenty, but they are so busy, it may take them quite a while to get to your project.
If college isn’t for you, think about a trade; you won’t regret it.
Lesson 4: You don’t have to attend the most expensive college or university unless it’s an Ivy League school.
I can tell you this much: the debt you will accrue over four years of college will astound you and overwhelm you when you finally graduate.
Maybe, and that’s a big maybe, your new employer may offer some type of help in paying back your student loans — and that’s a huge maybe.
I don’t know how college graduates with big debt can afford to purchase a car or an apartment or one day, a house when you have up to 30 years to pay back student debt.
In the 1970s, about 10% to 13% of college graduates moved back home, whereas in 2025, that number skyrocketed to over 35% of college graduates who moved back home and stayed three to five years out of college.
In the 1970s, the average age at marriage for men and women was 22.5 years and 20.6 years, respectively. Today, that number has moved up the dial, with the average age to marry for a male at 30.8 years and for a woman at 28.8 years.
Mental maturity doesn’t happen for both sexes until their mid-to-late 20s. That makes me circle back to what I said earlier, how do you know what you want to do for life at the age of 18 when you are supposed to declare a major in college?
Lesson 5: Give your parents a bit of slack. They have tried their best to get you to high school graduation, and now it’s up to you to see the finish line for college graduation.
You may not know it now or admit to it, but your parents have plenty of friends, are fun to be with, and are pretty cool people, and when you do reach your mid-to-late 20s, you will realize all of this, but it’s a pity your parents have to wait nearly 10-more years until their children no long think they are dumb and don’t know anything.
Guaranteed, there will be a time when you will lean on your parents for advice, comfort, and happiness. They will always be there for you; it just takes time to fully realize it.
Class of 2026, get out there and crush it.
Quote of the week
“You do not have to handle the world. If you just learn to handle yourself, everything is handled.” —Yogi Sadhguru
Thought of the week
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
Bumper sticker
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” —Lao Tzu
