I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to the class of 2012. I greatly appreciate sharing my journey with you. I believe the greater the difficulty, the greater the glory and the glory is what we celebrate tonight. When I was first asked to speak in front of the graduation committee, I said to myself, "I can't do this", "what do I have to say anyway", "I don't have time", "I'm in the middle of midterms" and "it's just something else I have to prepare for." After pondering over all these "excuses," I'm here and I have an answer to my own questions. The reason I'm here is because my achievements are much greater than me. I owe most of my success to the faculty, staff, and students of Shelton Community College. I need to show my gratitude and appreciation to those who helped me get on this stage tonight, something I never thought was possible. Let me explain why. I was born and raised in Southern California in a difficult area, where going to school was not a priority. My high school was composed of gang violence and drive-by shootings. In addition, I was living in an environment where people abused themselves, as well as others. People around me were selling drugs, using drugs, involved in gangs, and dropping out of school. Most of my high school girlfriends were getting pregnant and working the welfare system to make a living. That was what my life was like, then. I first visited Washington state in the summer of '93, at the age of 15. I didn't realize it then, but that visit opened my eyes to what was possible and gave me hope for the future. I settled in Shelton for the summer and joined the STAR program through Shelton High School. I was to go to summer school from 8 a.m. to noon and do a work assignment from 1-4 p.m. Can... ... middle of paper ... ... possible for us to have a dream and has impacted us in many ways. I know we will always remember SCC as a home, a life, and a future, all in one campus. You provided us a quality education in an atmosphere that has encouraged all of us to achieve our educational goals. We are now life-long learners, responsible members of our communities, and are proud citizens of a rapidly changing world. You have provided us an equal access to educational opportunities, maintained high standards of excellence, and promoted a sense of campus community. Therefore, I APPLAUD Shelton Community College for successfully fulfilling its mission with the class of 2006. Go celebrate tonight! Spend time with your families and show them your appreciation. Please remember that yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, and that's why it's called the present. Dream big!
When I was in elementary school, I loved to read. I was a total nerd back then ... okay maybe I still am, but one thing has changed. Now I don't so much like reading. My favorite poet was Shel Silverstein, who wrote "Where the Sidewalk Ends." He seemed like he was a total hippie, but that's cool because I like hippies. My grandma is a recovering hippie. I like her too. Anyway, Shel Silverstein wrote about the coolest things. He wrote about magical erasers, eating whales and a boy with long hair flying away from people who were taunting him. He captured all of the things that I loved without knowing that I actually loved them. Now you may ask, how does this hippie relate to our graduation? Well, he wrote a poem entitled "Traffic Light" and this is how it goes:
Good evening. Some of you out there may not realize this but those of you who attended Suntime Middle School have been with this guy for the last seven years. I would like to ask you all, not just Suntime Middle School grads and who all else, to join me in thanking Mr. Weather for his patience and dedication to the success of our education over the years. We are the Class of 2000. The first graduating class of the new millennium. The past four years have been pretty wild. We started out as a bunch of rats in a small cage, but as time went by we learned and matured and became big rats in a new small cage, but in any case, the cage door is now opening; the handlers turning us wild things loose. As we leave "Where the Wild Things Are," home to some of the best cat fights, fist fights and food fights this side of the Cascades, I have a little surprise for all of you sitting in front of me here tonight in your caps and gowns … we ain’t seen nothing yet!
Thank you. Thank you for accepting me on April 20th, 2012. Thank you for allowing me to grow as a designer, student, and human being in the past four years. And lastly, thank you for accepting, welcoming, and investing in me as your student.
Over the past four years, we have grown from insecure, immature freshmen to successful, focused and confident young adults. This incredible transformation has been the result of our entire high school experience. Everything from that first homecoming game, to late night cramming, to the last dance at prom. These experiences have pulled us together as a class and we have learned to love and respect our fellow classmates.
High school was not a completely dreadful experience, but I did not get a really an exceptional education. As I entered high school, I thought it would be a whole new exciting chapter in my life. I started out as an involved student, and went through all of the Advance Placement and Honor classes, and managed to be at the top 12% of my class. In high school, I basically placed myself to enjoy it; I joined all of the extra curricular activities I was interested in. I was in band, tennis, swimming, dance team, and Key Club. Sometimes I was at school for about fourteen hours a day, four times a week.
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.
Hello class, I want to thank you for the honor of letting me speak. Guys! We made it! At our time here I feel that we have endured through so many events. That leave great stories and memorable moments.
Commencement is a critical juncture in our lives; it is a momentous occasion where we believe we are about to start anew. However, graduation is the bittersweet moment where the forces of past and future are simultaneously acting on us. Consequently, the past is not dead. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, suggests that our past experiences will be with us forever as he states, " [we] are a part of all that [we] have met; yet all experience is an arch where through gleams that untraveled world." That is why graduation, similar to other turning points in our lives, possesses two halves, which accentuate each other. We are looking forward, but the "arch" of experience beckons us to remember, value, and learn from our past experiences. Thus, I feel that in order to appreciate commencement fully, we must remember our own past, and in particular, the last four years:
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.
High school was a time when my friends and I got into vices and violence. Many of my friends started to experiment with drugs and alcohol because they were easy to access. Another group of friends was making a profit from selling drugs. I fell into to peer pressure, however I looked for brighter
Being the only senior at ACS this year has proved to be difficult. It's had ups and downs. But in the end it was all worth it. ACS has given me something no other school would offer: their love and interested in me and my well-being. I am convinced, if they had not had faith in me, I would not be standing here in this place of honor. This past year, more than any before, I have grown closer to and stronger in the Lord.
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.
... way that I would ever enlist into the military. After that trip I am seriously considering enlisting into the Coast Guard, because I like what they do and it is a great opportunity. Another thing that I enjoyed this year was the Winners Circle project which was to talk to the lower class students and inspire them to do their very best on the CSTs. I enjoyed going into classrooms and sharing some experiences and answering their questions. But the fun part was to go and deliver the water bottles for the students that were going to be testing and it all paid out when I heard that we had actually made a difference.
Hi, my name is Pat and I would like to start today by thanking the seniors of 2012 for choosing me to speak today. It is truly my honor.
Let me begin by saying that I am very honored to be addressing the County High School Class of 2012 as students of this institution for the last time. We've spent these last four years creating some serious memories: four years of chieftain power, leaking roofs, questionable Homecoming skits, and musical principals. Four years of good teachers, bad teachers, new teachers, old teachers. Four years of youth, music, growing up and breaking free. Four rubber chickens, four yearbooks, four ASB presidents and four chubby bunnies.