Watch out Class of 2012---I may just wander onto a podium near you. And read this:

Congratulations Class of 2012.

Yay! You did it.

Now savor it for a second. Okay, a weekend even, but for the love of god, please don't cap it off here. Go forth. Work on improving your bad-ass eighteen year or twenty-two-year-old self. Because if these are the best years of your life--forever--you're doing something wrong.

No seriously. Boo-hoo for you. Trust. You don't want to live in the past. There's a huge difference between reflecting back on your accomplishments and pining for your lost youth. Whatever your biggest achievement has been to date, you need to up it. Once, twice, three times shoot.

You don't want to be that forty-five-year-old dude, still basking in those glory days of high school. Go on, do the math. That's more than thirty years since said guy actually made some memories worth remembering. And is there any reason that depression is at an all time high?

The truth is, you don't have to lose your youthful spirit. Really. No, really. Those rules of adulthood? They'll try to creep in. The shoulds. The musts. But the truth is, outside of paying your mortgage on time, there really isn't a whole lot that's important. The other stuff? Just lame. Keep being curious. And enthusiastic. And wear a bikini as long as you can rock one.

You get the drill.

But the real secret? Always walk the path that's right for you. Easy enough? Eventually, maybe. But here's the thing. At the beginning, those who think they know what's best, for not only you, but for everyone else in this whole wide world, will be shouting the virtues of that traditional roadmap.

Yup. More of those shoulds. And musts.

Go ahead. Blame that genius, who once upon a time, decided that life doesn't fall oh so neatly in line when you're allowed to just play it out as an adventure. You need a guide. Or a series of carefully crafted benchmarks that generations before you, and generations after, have used to help them find their way. And gauge success. What's up next? Well, it all depends where you are on that timeline. You've got your education, or at least part of it. So it's on to a great job. Then marriage? Of course. House? Naturally. Kids? Why the hell not.

Keep to the plan and you can bet there will be no trouble. No conflict. No contest. It makes folks feel better when you're doing things at the same pace that you're 'supposed to.' It's when you start to deviate that you'll really start to shake people up. And make them feel uncomfortable. They'll start wondering what the hell is wrong with you. And why 'you' are not more like 'us.'

Take comfort in the discomfort, my friend, because that's how you'll know you're on the right track. That you're living life authentically. Going against the grain will make you stronger, for the simple reason that you'll have to define who you are. And own it. And shake off all of the people who just want you to be easy. And predictable. And 'normal.'

Because, really, where's the fun in that?

There's certain things that I just don't understand in this life. The mass appeal of sit-coms. How an all white church in rural Kentucky recently banned mixed-race couples, then claimed they weren't racist. And why, in Rhode Island, there's so much anger towards a recent policy granting illegal immigrant students in-state tuition at our local colleges.

Seems to me, that our goal is to have an educated population. You know, so we can attract some industry and further tick down this ridiculous unemployment rate, which according to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, stands at 10.4 percent for October 2011.

I have lived in Rhode Island my whole life. Don't cry for me Argentina. I think that it's a pretty special place to call home, with miles of beaches, a creative capital city, dedication to historic preservation and outstanding eats. The sad part is that not everyone who wants to stay, can. And as the unemployment rate continues to climb, so does my long distance phone bill.

Part of the problem is that Rhode Islanders are very routed in tradition. This works when we're sipping a Del's lemonade along the sidelines of the Bristol 4th of July parade, but not so much when we're trying to keep our economy from completely tanking into Narragansett Bay.

Yes, the industrial revolution did start here, thank you Samuel Slater, for building the first successful water powered cotton spinning mill in North America on the banks of the Blackstone River in 1793. And, truth is, that industrial jump off carried us quite far, even through my early childhood growing up in Pascoag. The prosperity of the mills in my small hometown created a vibrant downtown with a jewelry store, clothing boutique, hardware store, paint and paper shop, a furniture store and two department stores.

But no more. My childhood Main Street? Partially demoed, with a tackle shop laying claim as the industry. We are one depressed state.

So why doesn't education seem like a good thing--for anyone who wants to work hard for it? There's no free rides here; the application process is the same as it is for native born students. First, you have to be accepted into college in order to attend. And once enrolled, all those requirements for success are the same: study hard, don't party too much and get up for that eight o'clock class.

The only difference for children of illegal immigrants next September, comes from the bursar's office, as they become eligible for in-state rates. And there are stipulations. They must have attended a high school in the state for at least three years and graduated or received a GED. Students must also commit to seek legal status as soon as they are eligible, or lose their resident tuition. Seems fair to me.

So, which part of this should make me angry? I can't help thinking that the real issue is one of keeping people in their place, because the truth is, there's a very real possibility oh, ye, of no degree, that you're going to be somehow edged out by this non-white immigrant population attending your state school. A possibility? Sure. But, in your linear thinking, you're not considering two things: a) Is the solution really to keep everyone down together? and b) If it bothers you so much, how about you go out and get that college degree yourself?

Personally, I'm thrilled by the progressiveness of our state. I understand the gifts brought by diversity. I'm willing to bet that this small piece of kindness, offered up by the people of Rhode Island, will create a fierce loyalty to the state, by those it benefits.

Like Brian.

My husband met Brian during his work as a juvenile probation officer. Indeed, Brian was an illegal immigrant, but all things considered, he had a pretty decent reason. He was trying to escape his life serving as a teenage soldier in the Guatemalan army, with who he had fought at the age of fourteen.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Brian did well here. His probation? For a minor issue that was quickly resolved. He truly appreciated and took advantage of the limited opportunities available to him, graduating from high school, with an intense desire to go to college. Only he couldn't, so back to Guatemala he went. And guess what? I still hope that someday, he returns.

And while I'm sorry that Brian may have missed this opportunity to continue his education in Rhode Island, I'm certain that there are many students, with a story like his, that will make our state a richer place--way, way beyond any financial bottom line.