Good afternoon, we are all here today because we have pushed through our struggles in high school but look at us now. We all came into high school our freshmen year being told that these would be the best four years of our life, well that’s a lie. Remember back when we were freshmen, trying to figure out where to sit at lunch and finding our ways around the school. It is quite weird to think about the fact that we pretty much looked like chickens with their heads cut off walking around school. Some of us didn’t know the teachers here well, I personally was not looking forward to them asking about if I had siblings. In a way I am going to miss our little community here since it is almost another place that I would call home. I personally know what it is like to have struggles while in high school. Senior year was the worst for me not only was it very stressful but I had been pushing through school and dance on top of a big event in my life. As we all know Covid has had an impact on us all in many different ways, even the ways that we were taught were affected and that was a difficult change for some of us. Imagine having to explain the way isolation looked for us in the future, I wouldn’t know exactly how to explain except that I stared at walls and electronic devices all day. Since this virus had an impact on us both our sophomore and junior year some of us struggled getting back into the so called normal this year. Well this virus had my father fighting for his life quiet literally. I had school still and had to try and stay focused while in the back of my head I was worrying about not being able to see my father ever again. It was if I was trying to balance bricks that just continued to fall.
When we struggle through these difficult times we need to remember that we cannot ignore the issue, there are people who are willing to help us and talk to us. You will also see who really cares about you during these moments and most importantly you need to make sure to take care of yourself. I want to thanks those who were there for me during this difficult time because it really means a lot. As we go on into adulthood that is something we really need to know how to do, yes people may always be there for us but we also need to be able to count on ourselves. At the same time we do need to realize that means we need to reach out for help just so we can get the help we need. Although my struggles made my life more difficult I got through them and although this may sound weird I now feel like I can get through pretty much anything that may try and get in my way.As we continue our lives after today, remember that some people may be going through something and that we can not always be mad when someone does something wrong. We have made it through high school and that was difficult at times, but look we made it through these years some would say are the worst years of their life. We all got through it in many different ways, some of us had animals that comforted us, for some of us it was sports and as for others it may have just been getting through it by themselves. What matters most is that we all got through it in the ways that worked best for us individually. We as a class have had our times where we have been able to bond. It saddens me that this is really our last night together as the class of 2022 since we will all branch off our separate ways. Most of us grew up together in this district and I feel that it is amazing that we are still here today graduating high school together I know we are so done with these funky years since Covid took over our high school experiences but we finally have a normal graduation so lets make the best of it and good luck moving forward.
“Graduation Caps” by Captain Skyhawk is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.