I would like to begin by saying that I am honored to be able to stand before you tonight as a representative of my class, a great class, the class of 2012!
I remember starting kindergarten and looking at high school with such awe. It was almost a dream. Each year I took a step closer, but it always seemed so far away. And yet tonight, I stand up here representing the realization of that dream. We have done it! No, really, think about it for a second, we have achieved the biggest, most anticipated event of our lives. We made it!
Graduates congratulate yourselves on a job well done. Sitting here tonight shows a great deal of work and dedication. Seriously, look back on what you have done in just that last four years, let alone what you have accomplished in all your years of school. It is astounding what we have done. Congratulations, your perseverance has finally paid off. But also, we must remember to thank our parents, for it has been with their help and support that we have achieved our goal.
We stand here tonight celebrating the accomplishment of our greatest achievement. But we also stand on the brink of the greatest challenge and adventure of our lives. This ceremony is all that lies between us and the so-called "real world." We are about to embark into the future. A future with infinite possibilities.
High school was an important step in our lives, but it was only a step. We must always strive to educate ourselves and work to the best of our abilities. We must use the tools that we have been given to push ourselves to our fullest potential. The only way to utilize the infinite possibilities of the future is to work. To strive to do our best and then some, and to risk.
Nothing in life is accomplished without risk. A risk of self, a risk of time, of money, of anything, a risk. With this is mind I would like to close by sharing with you a quote called "Man in the Arena," by Theodore Roosevelt.
"It is not the critic who counts. Not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or the doer of deeds might have done them better.
I envision high school as an essential stepping stone for everyone. The era where every individual lacks the complete confidence in defining who they are or what they want to be. The four years of high school was the moment and opportunity to seek the interests that stood out to me the most. The experiences you make and the people you associate with are a crucial part of finding yourself.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”
I am honored to stand and speak to you this evening. I am very proud to be a part of the first graduating class for the Gaylord Heritage school. We thank the staff at the Heritage school, the Gaylord Tribes, our families and our community.
People say high school is supposed to be the golden years of your life. I don’t know what else in life is to come; however, my philosophy is to live in the moment and make the life you’re living in the present worthwhile into the future, not only for you but for those who surround you. I live my life participating in our community and getting involved in our school. The activities, and the people I’ve formed relationships with, are what have formed me into the person I am today. The person I am today is not perfect, but I have learned from the mistakes I’ve made.
High school is typically hailed as a bridge connecting the last four years of secondary schooling to post-secondary college education. The high school experience is believed to assuage students into their roles as independent individuals ready to take on college and future endeavors. As a former high school student, I profess that this idea of a bridge, is just an illusion; instead, high school creates a divide, generating dichotomy in regards to post-secondary tutelage. Moreover, secondary educational institutions claim that they provide students with the utilities, assets, and erudition necessary to succeed in college, but in actuality, the modern high school does not prepare students
Now I have one thing to ask of you. Tonight, as we cross this finish line before us and set forth upon our next journey, strive to make a difference. Get involved to make our country a better place. Use teamwork to bring our people and the whole world together. I know to me personally, making a difference in our country and our world is paramount. Next week, I leave for the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.
Class of 2012, as we sit here this evening, I would like you to take a look at the classmates sitting around you. Many students have given countless hours of time, energy, and passion to worthy cuases that they have been a part of throughout high school. However, those aren't the only students deserving of recognition this evening. We have students here tonight, who have taken a stand for what they believe in, not even hesitating to compromise their reputations.
This aphorism really captures the uncertainty of the future, and how betting on the future is a big risk. It is supported with sayings such as “Live life to the fullest,” and “Life is short.” There are many reasons that the most dangerous risk of all is the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.
Taking risks is a difficult and frightening thing to do. Taking risks can have some very horrible consequences ,but it can also have uplifting benefits. The nasty thing about risks is how random it can be. For example, my father and I were playing poker with my grandparents.
Today, as we graduate, with degree nearly in hand, I challenge each of you to make a difference in whatever you do. Remember that life didn't end when we re-entered school. Life continued throughout our program. Even when stretched to the limit, life only got more challenging. And now, graduating, life only changes pace. Our degree completion is not really an ending as much as a new beginning as we re-enter our lives of work and home. We thank all of our family, friends, instructors and co-workers who helped see us through this process. Thank you for this opportunity and good luck to you all.
“The future stretches before me, waiting for me to create the work of art that will become my life.” We have entered an age for celebration, an era to memorialize who we were, who we are and who we will eventually become. Celebrate this milestone greater than all the others, for it is the time we have spent here in our high school careers that will always be held close to heart.
Good evening parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and friends. I would like to thank you all for coming to this very special day. I know how proud you must be. As we have grown over the years, there are many stages we all have gone through. From learning our shapes and colors, to getting our first kiss in middle school, or how about explaining to our parents why we skipped school because the principal called home. As we remember these days, things that we've done will be with us forever. But this is only the start of our journey. The day has come where we say goodbye to the big yellow buses, assemblies, assigned seating, and attendance policies. Are you really gonna miss it? For some of us maybe not right away. But eventually we will so for us to be here it is not necessarily an achievement, but a privilege. All of us have been in school over half our lives. To graduate is one more step we've taken in our lives.
Not every event has a guaranteed outcome- sometimes, one has to take a gamble in the game of life. There are some, however, who would prefer to travel within the safe, confined lane of actions with a definite outcome. Deciding whether or not to take risks in life can be tricky, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.” This quote means that people should take risks in their endeavors, because life is precisely about trying new things and experiences. As the quote explains, taking risks in life is a vital step to success, fulfillment, and gaining more out of experiences.
But most of all I want to thank all of the Career and Technical Education students that are here to welcome the new Administration and yet again show their abilities, readiness and desire to be responsible leaders in the career path they have chosen. How about a round of applause to all of these hard working guys and gals who are the future of our country. “Applause” We are here today because we have faith in in you! We’re here because we want to make sure that you get all the skills and education you need to reach your dreams and desires. We’re here because we know your dreams are so big and astonishing and also realize that you need all the support you can get! We’re here because we know one of the best ways is through career and technical education also known as CTE. Thanks again, for letting me and your new school board be part of your dream! “Applause”
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Sitting in the backseat of the car, I used to bombard my family with these questions. On our summer road trips I was so anxious for the destination that I failed to appreciate the journey. However, as time passed and I grew older, I realized that it was the journey that was important and not the destination.