It seems like the 2023-2024 school year is coming to a very close end. So, we have some advice for our graduating seniors from seniors living at the senior center here in Bozeman, Montana. In this article, I interviewed Felix Spinelli and Phyllis Lewis, both from the Bozeman senior center. These amazing elderly seniors provided advice for our graduating seniors of Gallatin High School! I enjoyed having leisurely conversations with our interviewees and I’m ecstatic to share their wise words of enlightenment to you all.

Starting with our first profile of Kristie Wetsch, she was our amazing coordinator as well as the director at the Bozeman Senior Center. Wetsch brought this article idea to life with all of her work and dedication, making all these phone call interviews happen, as well as finding our interviewees, which I will introduce throughout this article. This has been a wonderful experience for me, and I hope you find interest in this article.

Starting with our first interview, Mr. Felix Spinelli, is a senior at the center who has a Bachelor's degree and a Phd. in Agricultural economics, employed for the government. He has been working as a Special Olympics Coach and played basketball in his youth. As I learned more about his background, I found myself asking, “Why are you doing this?” In which he responded very wisely. Spinelli answered with, “We’re working for the people and we are working for an outcome. We’re trusted to do the best we can.”

Spinelli explained something that I believe we should all constantly remember. “This is not a race. You’re not competing against anyone.” Back to his past, he worked small jobs. His career was a janitor for part of his life, trying to get by. He told us to simply accept the pressure and accept the role you play. “Don’t try to be everything to everybody. Just do the best you can in your role. . . don’t be ashamed since it’s the best you can do” he states, recognizing that it’s all about the purpose.

Additionally, I asked him for the best piece of advice he can give for graduating seniors, now that they are on their own. Spinelli’s response was simple, yet it still seems to be misjudged by its simplicity. “Be a good listener. Be considerate.” As we think more about this, those who are graduating might be taking a large step in life. Everything you lose is a step you take. Listening to someone and considering their words is a sign of being genuine. I can see why it impacts so many people. He conveyed the message of, “Take yourself seriously. Don’t blow it off, you’re going to use your math. Never lose your curiosity. . . and don’t be afraid to ask questions.” The general theme that constantly stayed throughout my conservation was the idea of staying curious. 

When it comes to a career path, Spinelli explains it as a process of elimination. You can start from the bottom and build up. Furthering the topic, it’s undeniable that every person is born into a certain circumstance. When I questioned him about this, he furthered, “Don’t ever call someone lucky. Perhaps they put themselves at the right place at the right time given the right background and experience.”

Additionally, I also interviewed Phyllis Lewis, who retired at the age of 75 now living at the Senior Center here in Bozeman. Getting to know her, I came to realize how much she impacts our community. Getting started, she previously taught home economics and business with a masters degree in the adult  community of higher education in Wyoming. She was a teacher and had 2 children, later working as an admin in Gallatin county. Lewis also gained the title of the University of Wyoming North West Area Nutrients and Food safety educator, working for them for 21 years. For around 9 ½ years, she has also taught home economics. Now, Lewis is the vice president of the Big Sky retired educators association, knitting and crocheting leader, helps with MSU games, works at the election offices, proctors the HiSET tests (High School Equivalence Testing), and runs a knitting curriculum for the state. 

Now that I had a basic gist of what Lewis does, I had to ask how the graduating class of 2024 can stay in touch with community services. Lewis responds with, “All you have to do is look around . . . you can ask the HRDC (Human Resources Development Council).” In addition, a couple of her friends told her to say, “do community service to see what you like to do. . . as a senior in high school, you need to develop some hobbies and expand your horizons.” 

There seemed to be a common theme here, mostly surrounding community services. She also included, “don’t immediately settle for what’s available. Try out different activities. . . you need to do something that's a priority in your life. Do what you like and what you want to do.” There are so many would’ve, could’ves, and should’ves. This led to ask, her about how our seniors, now on our own, can go about. Lewis told me that, “many people go out to college from high school and they have a major in their mind. Then they spend all this money . . . then they realize that they don’t want to do that. They would need to go back to community service to figure out what they want to do.” She talks about this long process of getting a degree, and sometimes, college may not be for you. “It is really important to get training and/or education in what you want to do.” 

We did have a longer conversation, finding fascinating facts about taking initiative for your health and well being while also finding passions through community service and helping our community. Lewis gave me a new perspective lens, making the overarching theme of the community giving so much to you, you should probably give back to your community.

Now with this stockpile of advice, it’s pretty easy to conclude that making large changes in your life is hard, but sometimes, it’s worth it as long as you know what you’re doing. Kristi Wetsch has been amazing with setting this up and our interviewees, Felix Spinelli and Phyllis Lewis who were both so kind and patient. With these wise words of wisdom, our seniors that are graduating can leave with assurance to the fact that they are going to be great and change the world.