Hickman class speaker shares positive life lessons with peers

As Philip Makarewicz addressed the graduates, families and friends at the Hickman High School graduation ceremony on Saturday, he emphasized the importance of believing in one’s choices as life progresses and stressed the importance of friendship.

“Surround yourself with positive people,” said Makarewicz, before congratulating the 550 students in the class of 2006.

In many ways, Makarewicz followed his own advice long before Saturday’s commencement by choosing to stay in Columbia and attend MU.

His journey from Hickman High School to MU began during childhood. Makarewicz, the senior class speaker, has “basically grown up on the campus,” said Linda Makarewicz, Philip’s mother.

Philip’s parents, Michael and Linda Makarewicz, have been living in Columbia since 1980, and both attended MU, as did Philip’s sisters.

Philip has taken classes at MU, where he plans to major in engineering this fall. His German class was part of the dual-enrollment program at Hickman that allows students to take courses both at the high school and MU. And Philip’s experiences at MU go beyond the classroom.

Philip attended Sunday school through the Newman Center, which was held on the MU campus in rented classrooms. “He’d go to (the General Classrooms Building) for Sunday school,” Michael Makarewicz said. Philip was also at the university for summer band camp and music lessons. He plays soccer and ultimate Frisbee on Stankowski Field with his friends who already attend MU.

Despite growing up in the sphere of MU, Philip’s parents say it is still a significant adjustment for their son to go from high school to college.

“He’s never had to share a room, so I imagine going to college and having to share a dorm room with somebody else is going to be an experience for him, too,” Michael Makarewicz said.

Philip said he was initially apprehensive about going to college but knowing he has friends at MU has eased his mind.

He said figuring out where he belonged was a challenge after his older friends graduated from Hickman but knowing they are waiting for him at MU made Saturday’s celebration all the better.