IT IS HERE! GRADUATION SEASON 2026!
So, we asked our friend and contributor at Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa, Russell Estes, for his thoughts on this year's grads. Life advice and words of wisdom. Things they need to know. Let's hear what you want to say to the class of 2026, Russell E....
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Dear high school senior,
Your whole life is about to change. Right now, you’re walking the hallways smelling like Axe body spray, cafeteria pizza, and bad decisions. But in a few weeks, you’ll cross a football field or a gymnasium stage in a polyester robe while your family screams like you just won the Daytona 500.
Then real life shows up.
Some of y’all are heading off to college hundreds of miles away. Momma won’t wake you up anymore. Daddy won’t check your oil. And the hardest truth of all? You’re gonna have to wash your own underwear.
Now, for some of you, college is exactly where you’re supposed to be. You’ll study, cram for finals, survive on ramen noodles, claim to be professional beer-pong players, and somehow become an expert in making PowerPoint presentations nobody wants to sit through. But that road ain’t for everybody.
Some of you are gonna enter the workforce. Some are gonna learn a trade. And thank the good Lord for that, because right now, if your air conditioner quits in July, you’ve got a better chance of spotting Bigfoot riding a unicorn than finding an available HVAC man.
Somebody has to know how to build things, wire things, weld things, unclog things, and fix things people broke trying to watch a YouTube tutorial.
And somewhere along the way, society started acting like success only comes with a college diploma and $80,000 in student loan debt.
And let me tell you… That’s straight-up nonsense. The blue-collar knuckles of this country are the backbone of America. While everybody else is sitting in meetings that could’ve been emails, somebody’s gotta keep the lights on.
And let me give you a few reasons to be proud of the road you choose.
First — we need you. If everybody became lawyers, doctors, or professional podcast listeners, this country would fall apart in about six business days. Our homes would collapse, our trucks would quit running, and nobody would know how to fix anything except somebody’s feelings with a chart. If a soccer mom’s minivan slings a fan belt, she’d have no choice but to run out and buy a whole new minivan.
Second — it’s who you are. Some of y’all were never meant to sit behind a desk under fluorescent lights looking like refrigerated chicken. You want to stand back at the end of the day and point at something you built with your own hands and say, “I did that.” There’s honor in honest work.
The Definitive List of The Oddest, Strangest and Downright Filthy Town Names In Every State
We combed through list after list of the oddest, strangest and somewhat naughty-sounding town names in every state. From Smut Eye to Ding Dong, you can learn unbelievable facts about each of these towns below.
Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll