posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 in Central Region News
It had been 22 years since Dr. Jason Hocker, DVM, gave a graduation speech. That was during his own high school graduation speech. He returned to the podium on May 20 to speak to Audubon seniors who were about to embark on their next chapter in life. His plan was to give them five concepts to help them be successful on their post graduation journey.
Hocker's first concept was to remember that words matter. Those two words, "words matter" may be forgotten with the numerous ways of communication these days, especially when it comes to social media, emailing and texting, but Hocker says, it's an important point to remember.
He said his Tae Kwon Do Club instructor, Master Pak, brought this idea home, because he not only taught Tae Kwon Do, but also about respect, leadership and patience.
"One day he spoke to us about respectful communication in the digital age," Hocker said. "He said if you want to be taken seriously in your digital communications, they need to be respectful. While email and texting are without a doubt acceptable and dominate methods of communication, how you use them matters. He suggested starting every communication with a formal greeting such as 'Good Morning Master Pak' or 'Greetings Master Pak.' He then suggested leading off with something other than what we were asking such as 'I hope you have been having a great week.' Then ask your question or get to the point of your communication and be sure to end your communication with Thank you or sincerely or kind regards and your name. He said in doing so, you will get what you are after faster and more effectively."
The next concept was the importance of finding something a person is passionate about and pursuing that as a career. He talked to Coach Sully, a football coach he had at Coe College, who frequently came to practice covered in dry wall dust.
"I asked (Coach Sully) why he wasn't a high school principal or teaching at Coe College," Hocker said. "He looked at me and simply stated, 'Hocker, you need to do what you love. I found out I didn't love teaching. I love to hang drywall, so that is what I do.'"
He also talked about the importance of "setting your attitude" each day, with the idea of approaching each day with excitement and enthusiasm, and not viewing feedback as a personal attack, but as a challenge to improve.
Finally, he said, students should continue to be life long learners.
Article courtesy of Audubon County Advocate Journal, Jennifer Nichols, 5/25/18
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