Author: Krista Luehring
This year’s graduates are facing an unparalleled event – Shelter-In-Place due to COVID-19 - which has completely obliterated all of the celebratory senior year milestones. For High School seniors, they’ve missed out on Spring Break, Prom, Graduation and Grad Night. For College graduates, they missed out on their hard-won graduation ceremony but also access to internships, the ability to move to a new city, or start a new job.
This year’s graduates are facing an unparalleled event – Shelter-In-Place due to COVID-19 - which has completely obliterated all of the celebratory senior year milestones. For High School seniors, they’ve missed out on Spring Break, Prom, Graduation and Grad Night. For College graduates, they missed out on their hard-won graduation ceremony but also access to internships, the ability to move to a new city, or start a new job.
Instead, they’ll have a virtual ceremony. They’ll be mailed their diplomas. They’ll have a celebratory Zoom party. They’ll wonder what the future holds. As a parent or grandparent, you likely feel that you want to do something special for your graduate. Something that they’ll remember even though this is an unusual chapter in their life.
For gift ideas, think about what’s coming in their future. This SIP isn’t going to last forever and soon enough, your graduate will be out and about, either returning to school, looking for work, or moving to a new town. Help set them up for success with gifts that will keep giving long after graduation.
Laptop
Many modern companies already offer remote work options, but since shelter-in-place, even more will now. And, many allow employees to BYOD (bring your own device) to work. A high quality laptop with is a great gift that will become the foundation of work essentials for your graduate. To find the best fit, do some research on what your graduate will be doing. There are laptops that are best for different activities. For example, someone going into graphic design might benefit from a different type of laptop than someone going into financial services. Here’s a few best-of lists for creative types and business types.
Document Scanner
This generation of graduates were born in a digital world so you might not think scanning paperwork is still a thing, but it is. Most businesses are still paper intensive and require digitizing their critical documents. In fact, the average employee will use 10,000 sheets of paper per year. And in their personal life, a graduate will recognize the benefits of scanning receipts, acceptance letters, applications, rental agreements – and saving them into a simple and organized document management system. (Link to iX1500 product page or use case). By the way, there are fun things they can do with a scanner, like scanning their doodles and sketches to create their own digital wallpaper.
Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
When working or taking classes from home, a wireless headset is imperative. Trust me, I’ve been using my earbuds these past few months and they leave something to be desired. For one, my dog loves to be on my lap while I work. But when he jumps off, he often pulls my earbuds and my iPhone down with him. WIRELESS. Secondly, when I’m on a call, I’m often distracted by noises from my family, pets, and neighborhood activities like on trash day. Garbage trucks are loud! NOISE CANCELLING. Check out this list of best noise cancelling headphones.
Whichever gift you choose for your graduate, I’m sure they will love it for years to come because you’ve thoughtfully selected something that empowers them to be the best they can be.