My niece is graduating from high school. I would like suggestions for a graduation present that can be sent via mail. My niece is mature for her age, loves to shop, has her own car, plays French horn in marching band and violin in orchestra. She considered majoring in music, but is backing off that and is not sure about her course of studies. She’ll probably get an abundance of presents, so something a little different and clever is what I am aiming for.
Thanks.
A whistle??? 
I don’t know what your family situation is Bill, but if possible, something related to grandparents who have passed on is a good idea.
For my graduation, my uncle had my grandfather’s Master’s Thesis on his war experience bound and he gave that to me. I obviously can’t give any specifics for you, but something linked to a much loved, late relative.
Actually, I did give my daughter an Elfsong Bb at graduation. She likes it, but my next 2 would find that a very geeky gift.
well, we’re giving my son a better phone, and better plan for when he enters the Navy (we figured that he wouldn’t be able to take the 'Vette he wants even if we did get it for him )
One thing he ALWAYS appreciates getting is gasoline cards. Of course, he drives a pickup truck that doesn’t get fantastic gas milage…
For a girl, if she’s the type, a piece of jewelry is always nice.
A nicely bound book of some classic.
Missy
In the Family section, bookshops do have books that are “all about Mom” or “all about Dad/Grandma/Granddad” etc. I was quite cheeky and bought one for each of my surviving grandparents. It was cheeky becuase it was a fill-in-the-blanks thing - where they met, about my parents when they were little, what life was like, etc. I wish I had been able to do that with the relatives who are no longer with me.
So, I highly recommend those, although it takes a while for them to be filled in by the relatives.
Also - you could put together a College Survival Kit. This would be if she is definitely attending a college next year (regardless of whether a major was decided…and tell her that about 3/4 of all students change majors at least once!) If you decide on something like this I’m sure board members can suggest items to include. I know I could. 
If she’s not sure about attending college, and her level of maturity is high, I strongly suggest talking to her parents about encouraging her to do some world (or national) travel. In the UK they have something called a Gap Year where it’s very common for pre-college kids to do some travelling before settling into the college world. Invaluable life experience and it could also help her decide on a course of study. I know if I had done a gap year instead of blindly stumbling into university right away, my experiences would have been very different - but not everyone is ready for such a thing. If she and her parents were interested in something like this, you could help with travel costs or help her choose a rucksack or something.
I really liked the people who gave me money. It was nice to have something to put away on case I needed it. (Sounds terribly vulgar to say money, but it really is handy. College students are sort of known for being poor. )
It doesn’t sound vulgar, lilymaid, it sounds true. My nieces are fifteen and the gifts I gave them that clearly hit the mark were gift certificates to Amazon.com. I felt like I was sort of giving up, but I just couldn’t get a clever idea. They love to shop and read and they got books and other stuff they wanted there.
If this girl loves to shop, a gift certificate to one of her favorite stores or to a really classy store would probably thrill her more than something different and clever. I know it feels crass, but you have to think about what the person would enjoy most. Or just money.
The travel fund idea of avanutria sounds good too if that is in her plans.
My grandmother gave me a beautiful jade necklace for my graduation and I love it. I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, but I wear the necklace everyday so if you find something you think your niece will like, get it!
For my cousin, I bought her a gift card to one of her favorite clothing stores and I know she appreciates it.
And because she plays violin already, she might enjoy a tin whistle??
Maybe since she plays violin, she might be interested in learning fiddle style. You could get her a few lessons with a local fiddler and some books that discuss the playing of traditional music as oppposed to classical. You might also get her a couple of trad CDs that highlight fiddlers. I think that might be fun for her.
How about a practice set of Uilleann Pipes…
Thanks for all the input. Cash is a traditional Chinese gift so it would not seem out of place. My niece lost her greatgrandmother last year, and a grandmother just this week, so I am leaning towards something sentimental involving these two matriachs, in addition to the traditional. My favored idea at the moment is earrings or charms framing a coin from the year of birth of each woman.
That sounds like a really nice idea to me.