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Tempe Body Shop praises ASU Grads

As the Spring 2014 ASU graduation exercises near, the staff and management of your trusted locally owned Tempe body shop have taken some to reflect on what this graduating class can look ahead and face head-on with confidence in what they’re taking away along with their hard-earned degrees.

The class that will take center-stage during this latest ASU graduation ceremony walks away from its time in Tempe with lasting memories, invaluable education, and a changing world facing its graduates. The decisions they make from here, and what they make of their education together along with thousands more graduates nationwide, will come at a critical time for our country.

We stand a little more than two years away from the close of President Obama’s eight-year tenure leading a revolutionary time in America’s history. As wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have ended, our country and its leaders have embraced the advent of federally mandated health care and the idea that the future of same-sex marriage should be left up to each state individually. Meanwhile, the emphasis of the expanding “Common Core” doctrine of education is reshaping the way educators and parents look at student achievement and college preparation in K-12 public education.

As if that’s not change enough, this latest ASU graduation comes amid a controversial time when food-service workers nationwide have led a charge for minimum-wage workers to begin receiving an unprecedented $10 per hour or more. This upward trend in wages could very well change the way future high school graduates perceive the merits of committing four years to a higher education instead of pursuing entry-level jobs that deliver them right into the workforce at an instant living wage.

Graduates, our Tempe body shop staff have gotten to know a number of you through the years. After all, college comes with a few errant mishaps here and there, often including the odd fender-bender or worse. We’re proud of every step you’ve taken to earn your ASU graduation walk to receive your degrees. Just know that we also have high hopes for you.

Another generation laid the groundwork for all the historic moments mentioned above. Important as those moments were, their advent came with the expectation that what would be made of them in the future would be entirely up to another generation – yours. As of the moment you receive your degree in hand, you are among our country’s best and brightest. What we make of these historic opportunities is now in your hands.