Graduation Speech
I’d like to start by congratulating all my peers sitting in front of me. We made it. It wasn’t easy, and nobody told us it would be easy. We survived though. Let me rephrase that last part actually. We didn’t merely survive high school, we thrived. At times it wasn’t pretty, but we persevered. Along the way we made new friends and saw old friends move away. Some friendships died and some flourished. We experienced things we never imagined we would, and we grew into young men and women. We had ups and downs. We made mistakes and we addressed them at one point or another. And now, in the crowning moment of high school, we’re going to graduate together. We’re coming together one last time before we can go our separate ways.
Now I’m up here to speak for our class as a whole. I’ll do it the only way I know how; I’ll speak truth.
When I reflect on our senior year, the common thread I’m seeing is endings. I was a part of three varsity sports that came to premature ends. I watched a year’s worth of preparation and dedication to a senior project end after a ten minute presentation. I saw girls and boys alike say good bye to senior prom, the thing that is supposed to be the pinnacle of our time in high school, after only six hours of dancing. And now, looking at all of you, I’m forced to realize that this, too, is coming to an end. When I say this, I encompass the entire high school life we have all become so accustomed to. It’s the bells, the teachers, the friends, the trips to Mr. Shattuck’s office, and the four minutes between classes. I look around and, sadly, I won’t see most of you again. At least not for years. But it isn’t about becoming distant in the future, it’s about the time we’ve shared in this very building. You see, whether you like it or not, this building we have all dreaded coming to at 7:35 in the morning became our home; it’s our commonplace. It’s where kids from all walks of life have come for the past four years to share in an experience unlike any other.
Some of you can’t wait for it to end. You wanted to graduate six months ago and venture out into the real world. You’re about to get there, but let’s keep this in mind. I’m afraid the real world isn’t like life is here guys. A pass from Coach Palko won’t get us out of being late to work. We can’t forge our boss’s signature on checks like we all forge our parents’ names on permission slips. Life, in some way or another, is going to be different.
But different, different isn’t bad. I promise you that.
The real world sounds pretty awesome; I can’t wait to be there, but I’d be lying to myself and all of you if I didn’t recognize these four years in high school as some of the best I’ve ever had. Any underclassmen in here, please listen to me when I tell you to cherish this time you have here. It’s cliché and you’ll hear it another hundred times… but listen to it. There’s nothing like this. It’s something special, something beautiful, and something you won’t ever forget. It’s something you can’t forget.
Before we go any further, I wish to take this time to thank our parents and family alike. For the longest time I was wrong in thinking that we don’t owe anybody anything in this life. We owe our parents. They brought us into this world, and no matter what has transpired between them and us, they gave us life. Join me and give thanks to whomever it was who raised you. They’ve done something right if you’re sitting here today. That much is evident. (Begin applause)
Our family, teachers, and coaches were always busy asking us what we wanted to be. We started out as prospective astronauts, ballerinas, musicians, and professional sports players, and over time our answers have matured into careers like teachers, accountants, physical trainers, and programmers. But all this time, we’ve slowly come to realize what we already were. We were athletes, we were skaters, we were musicians, and we were gamers. But no matter what our individual designations might have been… We are, and we always will be, Indians class of 2012.
It’s surreal; this all coming to an end. Ever since first grade I knew myself as tforse12 when I logged in on the school computers. I didn’t think the 12 would ever get here. And now that it’s here, I wish it wasn’t. I’d love to have another year with all of you. Another 180 days to become closer with those around me. But wishes are exactly that, they’re wishes. We can’t go back in time and time won’t stand still. We have to grow up, and maybe it won’t be today or tomorrow, but we have to move on from this chapter of our life. We’ve turned all the pages and we’ve read all the lines. We skimmed some of the chapters and we spent more time than we needed on others, but one way or another we finished this book. Whether your next book is the army, work, or college, don’t forget this book. Don’t forget the lessons you’ve learned and the connections you’ve made.
Remember this book, this school, this gym, these friends, these teachers. Remember the good times and the bad. Remember this moment. Go ahead, take a second and look all around you. Cement this image in your mind and always remember it. And if you have any room left in your heart and your mind, remember me. Thank you guys for listening to me today, and thank you for all the memories, I’m leaving this school with a full mind and full heart and I promise that I’ll always remember you, my classmates, the class of 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment