Commencement Speech

Fellow classmates and staff, thank you for 6 years of elementary school, 3 years of middle school and 4 years of highschool. It’s weird to think that I’ve been around some of you for 13 years. I think most of us can agree that before now the 13 years felt like 40. Now it feels like I was putting my freshly glazed clay mug into the kiln. As cliche as that sounds, it really does feel weird to say that we are graduating.

High School was some of the best and some of the worst times in my life but I learned so many things aside from our actual curriculum. The first thing I learned in high school was a little bit into my freshman year and it is to make relationships with your teachers and staff. Especially coming into a completely new environment with new staff and new people, you want to become friends with as many people as you can. I’ve always become close with my teachers because I’m naturally annoying and really hard to shake but they have been some of the most influential people in my life and helped me get to where I am now. It’s going to be weird not seeing their faces everyday. The second thing I learned was probably towards the end of my sophomore year and that was that people come and go. Things will happen, mistakes will be made, friends that you had in the past won’t be there in the future, as sad as it sounds but most of the time it’s for the best. It’s better to know that sooner rather than later. The next thing I learned was definitely maturity. This followed people coming and going from my life and I’m happy that it did because let’s be honest no one likes people that are almost 18 that act like 7th graders. Maturity is also such a big factor in your actions, in your relationships and in your choices. The more mature you are the more serious people will take you and the less drama you will be in. The next thing I learned was to be myself and I can say I was pretty good at it for the most part but definitely towards my junior year I really started caring less of what other people thought. This leads into the next thing I learned which was not to worry about other people. I don’t mean don’t care about them but you don’t have to worry about what they say or what they wear or what they do because at the end of the day it has absolutely no effect on you and your life.

The sixth thing I learned was not to underestimate my abilities. I learned this through sports, through FBLA and through my overall classes. I’m sure by now most of you know that I was usually late to school at least 6 days a week and sometimes didn’t even come. I’ve come to the conclusion that I do my best work when I’m alone. Throughout my four years of high school I have accomplished many things that I didn’t think I could but with the support of my teachers, I really put my mind to things and realize that the outcome isn’t as bad as I thought, sometimes pretty good. You may think you know everything but as you’re learning about history and chemical reactions and photosynthesis you’re also learning more about yourself everyday.

The next two things that I learned kind of go together and I learned these later in high school due to circumstances. I learned not to dwell on the past and to make memories. High school seems so long but when it comes to the end you’re going to wish you were still there. You’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to lose, you’re going to win, you’re going to lose people, you’re going to gain people, you’re going to accomplish things and you’re going to fail at things. The key to success is not to dwell on what couldn’t be done and not to give up. Back in elementary school, my art teacher told me something when my clay pot broke in the kiln and I still remember it. She said, “success is big, failure is small. This Stuck with me and helped me move on from failures in my life. It made me realize that you can’t change the past so you must focus on where you want to be in the future.

The tenth and final thing I learned in high school was to understand the experience. High School is such an important time in one’s life even if you absolutely hated it. It is the foundation of your future and also teaches you some of the most important lessons in life before they hit you like a train. I know sometimes it can feel like jail but it’s 4 years of your life so don’t waste it. Pull all nighters, play a sport, mold a clay pot, play the piano, audition for the lead in the play, make note cards ,go bother Mr. Anderson. I could go on and on but the most important thing is to make the most out of your high school experience. That’s all I have to say as I’m writing this at 3:26 in the morning. See everyone at graduation.

Photo by Me2 (Me Too) on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA