I’ve spent weeks trying to think of what it is I’d like to share with you on this special morning… what words of wisdom I could possibly impart, what bits of knowledge I have obtained during these past five years that I could share. And after careful deliberation and consideration, I came to the conclusion that I have absolutely nothing to say. I’ve asked several people, "So, like, if you were listening to a speech, and, like, you wanted to enjoy it… what would you want to hear?" And these several people all had the same reply, "Don’t be boring." So, that was a really big help. I refuse to start out with some sort of typical, "My fellow graduates…" introduction, and I’ll be gosh-darned if I start with a quote, like, "As Shakespeare once said…".. Basically, I realized that I’m walking away with a degree in Physics, and I cannot compose a simple graduation speech. Someone needs to explain to me how I can complete five years of college and leave here incapable of delivering a simple speech. I’m a little bitter. The problem is that I’m not sure whether the lessons I’ve learned are the types of things you talk about in a speech like this. Most of the graduation speeches I’ve heard seem to be along the lines of, "You are the future! You are the promise of tomorrow! Dream and you will succeed!" And that’s really great; those are nice things to hear. But I can honestly say that I have never reached a difficult moment in my life and then thought, "I didn’t know what to do, but then I remembered something my graduation speaker once said, and everything fell into place!" So, I’m not here to give advice, and I’m not here to impart words of wisdom, and I’m not here to inspire you to succeed. I would just like to wish you all the good and... ... middle of paper ... ...ied to. Waking up five minutes before the alarm is supposed to go off. Missing your flight. Spilling your drink. Breaking a dish. Arguments over stupid things. Sunburns. Saying goodbye… You may never be a CEO. You may never win an Oscar. You may never sing at the Met. You may never get married and have a family. But this is your story. That’s it. One shot. Feel it all. I don’t have the faintest idea what’s going to happen, and I think it’s great. I’ve spent five years trying to figure out what I should be doing the moment this ceremony is over, and I still don’t have an answer. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s perfect. If we knew life’s outcome, what would be the point of going through it? It’s a story, and it’s yours, and whatever happens just make sure you feel your life. One shot. My fellow graduates, as Shakespeare once said, "The readiness is all."
This speech is bigger than me... bigger than this graduating class... and the world surrounding us. It is an epiphany. This speech is for the little guy, the middle man and the guy who is always behind the scenes... For the past four years, we have seen stories, read newspaper articles, and have heard announcements about our star athletes, scholars and over achievers.
It has been nine years since Steve Jobs gave his famous Stanford Commencement speech but the message of “Stay hungry, stay foolish” is still being talked about today. During the speech he uses a conversational style of speaking to tell three stories on love, life, discovery and death. Jobs used his personal experiences to connect with the audience, sharing several anecdotes from his past to convince the crowd that failure and rejection were not always bad things. By describing his life events, he made himself more relatable to the audience and was successful at delivering his message.
As our time together draws to a close, I leave LHS with no further anecdotes of wisdom or quotes dealing with success; only the sincere hope that you immersed yourself in the essence of commencement. Everybody, we’ll all be graduates by the time we leave tonight. Let’s enjoy it. Congratulations to the Lee High School Class of 2006.
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.
I stand before you tonight, not because I am the valedictorian, even though I am clearly intellectually superior to the majority, nor because I have been recognized as Curley man of the year due to a possible bribery or just the misguided judgements of whomever decides on this silly award. I am here because I am the only one of our class who can compose a speech that does not consist of the all too common, basic, and honestly boring graduation speeches that anyone and everyone could create, or so I thought. From being around you all for so long, I am surprised that some of you can even form a coherent sentence at
When I was asked to be your commencement speaker I figured it was my responsibility to say something so significant that it would help you make sense of what you have experienced over the last two years. I figured that I should answer one of life's great mysteries that you may have been confused about. And I am prepared to do that today. The question is, we have been dealing with them, writing papers about them, but what in the world are these Learning Outcomes anyway? And why have you made us study them?
I would like to open with a quote from Charles Swindoll. It reads, “life is 10% of what happens and 90% of how you react to it.” I am a firm believer of this statement because there will always be things out of your control, but your reaction will always be up to you. As for the positive experiences, those are the ones you cherish most, but the negatives are what teach you the most. After listening to my speech, I want you to understand how both the positive and negative experiences in my life have benefitted me. I was able to develop significant skills and relationships through the major events in my life.
As I was gathering input for this graduation speech, several people suggested including a profound quote offering “encouraging advice to the young graduates”, and then there were others who said, “eh don’t worry about it, no one listens to those anyway.” Fortunately, I was actually able to take from both suggestions and found a happy balance.
Stanford Commencement Ceremony is a very prestigious, it is an honor to be asked to speak for it. In 2005 Steve Jobs was invited to speak at Stanford’s Commencement Ceremony and he delivered his speech where some of his most famous quotes came from, such as “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” -Steve Jobs. When he steps up to the podium viewers can tell that the crowed has high expectations for his speech. For Steve Jobs the 2005 Stanford Commencement speech was a success because he had a clear and focused message and it was engaging in content.
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:
I am finally a senior now. Becoming valedictorian or salutatorian is no longer my number one goal, getting into college is. Today I see that those are just titles and years from now, no one is going to remember who received those titles except for the ones who received them. What will be remembered is who went to college and made something of themselves. I never thought I would be in the position I am in today or that I would be applying for college, but here I am doing just that. I have my mother to thank for my transition for her tears made something click inside my head. When it clicked, I set my goals high and there was no turning back. That old prophet was wrong; the sky is not my limit. The sky is just my beginning.
First of all, I would like to discuss what I believe the most important thing that I have learned throughout my high school career is. I have learned many things throughout the last four years, from lessons taugh...
I was puzzled and wasn't sure what to talk about tonight. I had to prepare this speech ahead of time and turn it in for approval. I much prefer doing things spontaneously, using all the skills I have developed over the years, you know, sorta letting people (being the teachers and parents) know that we really were listening! It's much more fun interacting with other people, watching their reactions, and playing along with them. But, I had to do the right thing, So while I was contemplating my topic, it came to me - this is what I want you to take with you as we depart the Bryan Station School District and move on into life.
I consider Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 to be one of the most effective speeches. He uses mechanics of speech to craft a well-rounded speech that is crowned by his use of rhetorical devices. Jobs gives relevant and fundamental knowledge of his life and experiences with his rhetorical approach. In his speech to the Stanford’s graduation class, he tells different stories of love, loss, discovery and difficulty he faced in his life to encourage new graduates as they continue to mature in life. He encourages students to pursue their dreams and not be discouraged by failures they might experience in life.
Graduation: the last day that I would unwillingly set foot on the fields of Horizon High School. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, and tried so hard to keep my feet moving one after the other in order to maintain my perfect stature. After the two hour wait of opening speeches, class songs, and the calling off of the five hundred plus names that were in front of me, it was finally my turn. As my row stood up and we walked towards the stage it had set in at last, this is it, I am done. My high school career ended on that night, but it didn’t close the book that is my life, it only started a new chapter, and with it came a whole slue of uncertainties.