{"id":746,"date":"2026-05-28T23:37:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T23:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746"},"modified":"2026-05-28T23:37:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T23:37:59","slug":"high-school-graduates-should-learn-to-embrace-the-unexpected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746","title":{"rendered":"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

OPINION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

High school graduation season is upon us. Teenagers are transitioning to a new chapter in their lives, which is exciting but also can result in some understandable trepidation.<\/p>\n

Read more WATCH: Is Texas actually in play? What Ken Paxton\u2019s runoff win means for the midterms<\/a><\/p>\n

Even for the graduates who think they already have their futures well mapped out, life has a way of delivering unexpected surprises, some welcome and others harshly unappealing.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why new graduates would do well to consider the sage advice from Sef Scott, who delivered an inspiring graduation speech to his classmates at Plano Senior High School in Texas back in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have autism and a social communication disorder,\u201d he began. \u201cJust by my being here, speaking to all of you \u2014 that alone is unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n

His empowering message about embracing the unexpected was founded upon being undaunted about the future: \u201cDon\u2019t fear the unknown. Will it be unexpected? Yes, yes, it will. But that does not make it wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man\u2019s insightful words have resonated deeply with me since I first heard them shortly after retiring from the CIA. At the CIA, we painstakingly tried to plan for every possible outcome, which was especially challenging because so much was seemingly out of our control.<\/p>\n

My best mentors were the CIA officers who asked the right questions and could anticipate even the most unlikely of scenarios, which might torpedo our sacred mission. They stimulated productive discussion and debate, which elevated our state of readiness.<\/p>\n

Senior managers were known to complement the most successfully planned and executed clandestine operations for \u201cgoing off without a hitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the lesson was more nuanced. We almost always had to deal with unexpected and sometimes even unimaginable developments. By relying on our exhaustive planning and exceptional training like defensive driving, trauma first aid and surveillance detection, we could nevertheless achieve success.<\/p>\n

That encouraged us to take calculated risks, like conducting a high-threat meeting with a source penetration of a terrorist group, from whom we obtained time-sensitive intelligence about threats to our homeland. Or deploying undercover behind enemy lines or exfiltrating a source from harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

Incorporating the most comprehensive planning into our clandestine CIA operations made embracing the unexpected less unsettling and more in line with Roman philosopher Lucius Antaeus Seneca\u2019s maxim about how \u201cluck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Interior Secretary Doug Burgum poised to open over 95% of conservation lands to hunting, fishing<\/a><\/p>\n

But what about when life\u2019s challenges appear arbitrarily and entirely without warning?<\/p>\n

No amount of preparation could have spared my family from the trauma when my late wife Kim was diagnosed with cancer when she was 37 years old and passed away four years later, leaving behind me and our sons, who were then 11 and 8 years old.<\/p>\n

But my sons and I still embraced the unexpected, no matter how unbearably painful it was. We started by being honest and open with ourselves about our sorrow.<\/p>\n

Days after Kim passed away, my sons began expressing their emotions through art therapy. A service dog offered my sons companionship and helped encourage them to share their feelings. Together, we spent time in reflection and discussion. We learned from our friends, family members and doctors. And we read books, which informed our understanding of grief and helped us process a way forward.<\/p>\n

We deliberately devoted our time and energy where we believed we could make a difference while not allowing ourselves to be debilitated over what we were helpless to change. We did not languish over why Kim had been stricken with cancer. Instead, we found a path to philanthropy, which soothed our broken hearts.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, to this day, we honor Kim\u2019s memory by supporting kids in the fight for their lives against pediatric cancer through the Jessie Rees Foundation. And we\u2019re still learning.<\/p>\n

Winston Churchill once remarked that \u201ceducation is what remains after all else has faded from memory.\u201d High school graduates should take a moment to reflect on the value of education, which includes what they have learned in and outside of the classroom heretofore and what they will learn down the road.<\/p>\n

Learning after all is a lifelong journey, not a destination in and of itself.<\/p>\n

As they step out into the world, graduates should remember they\u2019re carrying with them the tools to further develop their critical thinking and build knowledge so they can effectively navigate what awaits them: life\u2019s labyrinth of unforeseen twists and turns.<\/p>\n

President John F. Kennedy said that \u201cour progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sef Scott was right. That\u2019s what embracing the unexpected is all about.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Daniel N. Hoffman is a retired clandestine services officer and former chief of station with the Central Intelligence Agency. His combined 30 years of government service included high-level overseas and domestic positions at the CIA. He has been a Fox News contributor since May 2018. He can be reached at danielhoffman@yahoo.com. All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or endorsement of the CIA or any other U.S. Government agency.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Industries regain liability shield for emission violations under EPA rule<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

High school graduation season is upon us. Teenagers are transitioning to a new chapter in their lives, which is exciting but also can result in some understandable trepidation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,30],"tags":[587],"class_list":["post-746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-opinion","tag-sef-scott"],"yoast_head":"\nHigh school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected - Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"High school graduation season is upon us. Teenagers are transitioning to a new chapter in their lives, which is exciting but also can result in some understandable trepidation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T23:37:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"headline\":\"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T23:37:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746\"},\"wordCount\":893,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Sef Scott\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Commentary\",\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746\",\"name\":\"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected - Home Buyer Relocation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T23:37:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":700},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=746#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home Buyer Relocation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected - Home Buyer Relocation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected - Home Buyer Relocation","og_description":"High school graduation season is upon us. Teenagers are transitioning to a new chapter in their lives, which is exciting but also can result in some understandable trepidation.","og_url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746","og_site_name":"Home Buyer Relocation","article_published_time":"2026-05-28T23:37:59+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"headline":"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected","datePublished":"2026-05-28T23:37:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746"},"wordCount":893,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp","keywords":["Sef Scott"],"articleSection":["Commentary","Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746","name":"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected - Home Buyer Relocation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-28T23:37:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b17aef057d39f37fa810f05a041b89fb.webp","width":1200,"height":700},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=746#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/","name":"Home Buyer Relocation","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com"],"url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}