By By BEN RAYMOND LODE / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Tuesday was a day of recognition for Niles and Brandywine high school Honor students, not just at their respective schools' awards assemblies.
Joseph Odehnal, president of the Niles City Club, on behalf of the club's members, also had the pleasure of inviting the honor students and their parents to the Niles Inn and Conference Center for a luncheon in recognition of their student achievements.
But the luncheon at Niles Inn and Conference Center, apart from being free for the students and their parents, was also a chance for the high school students to listen to Dr. Una Mae Reck, chancellor at Indiana University of South Bend, Ind., speak.
A native of Texas and the first in her family to start college, Reck congratulated the students on their achievements.
Having travelled and studied in different parts of the country while obtaining her own education, she also knows the many new challenges the high school students will face when they start college this fall.
Reck said the high school students will also have more responsibility when they start college, "and your parents will expect more of you."
On the other hand, Reck said college will obviously mean meeting new people and developing friendships with other students in the college environment.
But apart from meeting new people and perhaps experiencing life in a different part of the country for some of the high school students, college will also be a chance for them to grow as individuals, and to test their own values, she said.
Based on her own experiences, Reck listed five values that she throughout her own life has found helpful when dealing with change.
Those five values were communication, teamwork, integrity, respect and civility and commitment.
She also said it's important to communicate to be able to work well in a team.
The Niles City Club, when the luncheon was over and Reck had finished her speech, handed out a framed diploma to each student.
As they accepted the diplomas, each student was asked to say who their parents are, and what school they are attending this fall.