The Final Chapter 2023

Commencement Speech Welcome family, friends, and faculty to the class of 2023 graduation. We are all very excited to be here today. So please get comfortable because we are going to be here for a little bit.

As everyone in their graduation speeches say “We did it, we are finally here.” But it’s true we are graduating. It really is FINALLY HERE you guys. We have been waiting four whole years to be sitting in these chairs today. Or if you are like me it’s been a long 13 years! Walking into high school for the first time was scary. I know most of us didn’t know what to expect in the four long years of high school that were ahead of us. We thought about who our friends were going to be, if we were going to get taller, well at least I did,  or if we would make a varsity team as soon as we hoped. As the class was finally getting the hang of what high school was COVID hit. We had to stay home and do online school. I know that we all wanted to get back to school and get back to normal. But the class of 2023 didn’t let COVID ruin the next three and a half years of high school for us. We came back with the determination to make the last few years the best experience after having lost out on the “normal” experiences of classes before us. We came together during Spring Fling, Homecomings, Winter Formals and Proms to make high school fun again. As a side note, I’m just saying we should have won Homecoming and Spring Fling you all know I’m right.

But anyway, as our senior year came to an end and we finished our last math test, last Hamlet paper, and our last 200 minutes of Membean minutes that we racked up, we got to see a little of what our futures were going to be. Senior year was scary, exciting, and rewarding. Yes, there were a lot of tears, laughs, and late nights but every second was worth it to get us here.  I know we all learned a lot in high school, although we probably don’t remember any of it at this very moment. Part of the reason we are all sitting here today, wearing these horrible dresses and hats is because of the people in our lives who have inspired us. So I would like to thank those people that have gotten us here today. Thank you, Mr.Aliberti, for always saying “Hello, how are you?”  not just from time to time but every day, multiple times a day. Thank you  Mr.Zuis for showing us it’s okay to be who we are and not to be afraid of being a little crazy and thank you for all of the pep talks in Raider Connection as well for saying “Get off your phone and do something”, after all, we won’t have time to do that once we march out of here today. Thank you, Mr.Young, for giving us all of our membean quizzes and passing all of us despite all those dubious minutes,  and Thank you to all parents, Aunts, Uncles, and grandparents for helping us get to today. But class we also need to thank ourselves. We pushed ourselves through hard times and didn’t give up because we all knew that we could do it and because we pushed ourselves we are in these chairs tonight celebrating our efforts. Today is the day where we get to choose what our next steps will be. What we want our life to be like, and how we will make a mark on the world. As soon as we walk across the stage, get handed that diploma, smile, and pose for a picture with  Mr.Aliberti our next chapter starts. After tonight we will all go and do better things, maybe become nurses, teachers, business owners, a therapist, trade workers or become physical therapists.

Gandhi once said “Learn as if you live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” Class please keep learning after high school there is so much more that we haven’t learned yet and it is all out there waiting for us. Make mistakes, fall down, and scream about it,  but get back up, because, in the end, we will all be okay. In the end, those mistakes will have helped us to become the people we want to become. After tonight, live a little, travel, go to the beach, hang out with friends,  or ask that person out, what is the worst thing that could happen?  Have fun because you do not want to look back in 10 years and regret not having taken the chance.  Go crazy and go do something a little out of character.  I know the world is not ready for the class of 2023 and some of us still might not be ready for the world but I wish each one of you the best of luck. Good job, and good luck class of 2023 we did it!

“Graduation 1” by Charline Tetiyevsky is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.